Research Associate / Fellow - Wellcome Trust Funded Project University of Nottingham - School of Medicine, Translational Medical Sciences Nottingham, United Kingdom

In this highly collaborative project involving the Universities of Nottingham, Leicester and Cambridge we aim to accelerate the discovery of genetic risk factors for lung function impairment, and define the mechanisms and biological pathways underpinning the observed associations. In Nottingham, we will use human primary airway cells combined with CRISPRi to identify functional causal genetic variants, genes and pathways. These mechanisms will be explored further using more complex cell and tissue models combined with spatial transcriptomics of the lung to provide novel understanding. This programme of research will improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of respiratory disease through mechanistic discoveries that identify new drug targets and biomarkers, and that highlight drug re-purposing opportunities. This position will be especially suited to candidates with interest in functional genomics, bioinformatics, lung cell biology and respiratory medicine. The successful candidate

will also work in close collaboration with researchers in Leicester and Cambridge and additional collaborators. This post offers a unique opportunity to work in fast developing field of molecular genetics and to develop skills in state-of-the-art technologies.

Applicants must be highly motivated and self-driven, with a PhD (or near to completion) in genomics, molecular and cell biology or related area of biological science (desirably, respiratory genetics). The successful candidate will have considerable experience in some of the following areas: handling and analysing large genomic datasets, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing and other molecular biology approaches. A track record of publishing research and experience of primary human airway cell culture is also desirable.