ADVERTISEMENT: RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
CONTRACT TYPE: FIXED TERM
TERMS OF CONTRACT: 2 YEARS IN THE FIRST INSTANCE (POSSIBLE EXTENSION BASED ON PERFORMANCE)
ABOUT UHAS
The University of the Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), as part of its mandate, provides teaching, research and
community service. The strategic objective of UHAS’ underpinning research is to consistently push the limit of our academic curiosity in health research and earn an enviable reputation for the wide-reaching impact of our research on the knowledge and practice of health and wellbeing.
THE POSITION AND RESEARCH
We are seeking to appoint a Research Associate to contribute to a new project on Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte development in the bone marrow of living malaria-infected individuals.
Gametocytes of P. falciparum go through several forms of development in different sites of the human body. The
earliest forms of gametocytes develop in tissues of the bone marrow, and emerge into circulation when they are mature and are ready to be transmitted to mosquitoes. We have limited understanding of how gametocytes arrive in the human bone marrow, which specific parts of bone marrow tissues they are in, what processes maintain them, and how they are released back into circulation. We are using molecular, immunohistochemical and single cell transcriptomics to perform indepth investigations in human bone marrow obtained from living individuals in a high malaria transmission area.
This exciting project includes laboratory and field studies based primarily in UHAS, Ho, Ghana, but with the
opportunity for experimental work in collaborators’ laboratories at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Legon, Accra, Ghana (Prof. Gordon A. Awandare), the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Dr. Pietro Alano), and Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umea, Sweden (Prof. Oliver Billker).
Prospective candidates must:
• Have a master’s or PhD in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Molecular Parasitology, and a record of high-quality
publications in peer-reviewed journals. Experience with confocal microscopy would be desirable.
• Be African and a highly motivated individual interested in pursuing novel malaria research.
• Have intentions of pursuing a long-term career in malaria research in Africa.
• Be a person of integrity, have an eye for detail and possess a valid driving licence
Successful candidates will be expected to:
• Conduct high-quality research leading to publications in high-impact journals.
• Contribute to research capacity-building including training of research degree students.
• Contribute to grant writing to seek for funding to pursue new research projects.
The successful candidate will be supported with funding from the Royal Society, UK/African Academy of Sciences for 2 years in the first instance with a possibility of an extension based on performance. Funds will cover:
• A competitive salary
• Research supplies and reagents
• Conference grant
• Other research related costs such as visit to a collaborator’s laboratory
Application forms are available here and interested applicants should send their completed application documents to bdinko@uhas.edu.gh. UHAS believes in diversity and inclusion for bottom- line performance and encourages applications from female researchers. Individuals who recently applied for the post-doctoral position do not need to submit another application. For informal inquiries please contact Dr. Bismarck Dinko at bdinko@uhas.edu.gh or the Dean of the School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, UHAS, Prof. Richard Asmah at rasmah@uhas.edu.gh. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Post expected start date: can be negotiated.
Deadline for applications: July 31, 2020.
