Horizon Research Fellow

Would you like to be involved in cutting edge research to develop novel solutions for smart resorbable bone implants for controllable and fast bone restoration, and to test a new generation acellular scaffold with bone-like architecture? Are you interested in acquiring and/or developing your skills to develop new tissue engineering solutions for in vitro reprogramming of adult stem cells for embedding into the smart implant?

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Fellow position working with Prof Peter Giannoudis and Dr Elena Jones on the Horizion 2020 project “SBR – Smart Resorbable Bone” and a small industry funded project Greenbone. Based on the St. James’ Campus, you will co-ordinate projects related to several SBR Work Packages (WPs)More specifically you will be working on the WPs 6 with the aims to:

  1. WP6, task 1: In vitro evaluation of bioactivity of immobilized liposomal/polymeric drug delivery systems (DDSs)
  2. WP6, task 2: Implant modification with stem cells: to test colonization, proliferation and survival of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on the implant materials.
  3. WP6, task 3: Evaluation of biocompatibility/performance of modified implants with stem cells/bioactives.

You will also be responsible for delivering Greenbone project to assess the biological support that GreenBone scaffold can provide for MSCs and endothelial cells.

Reporting to Dr Jones, your work will be carried out in collaboration with consortium members based in Patras, Greece and Munich, Germany

Capitalising on the infrastructure and samples collected through the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal medicine based across St James’s University Hospital and LGI, you will generate primary MSC cells to be used by other consortium partners. You will develop and validate assays to assess the behaviour of MSCs on electrospun biocompatible scaffolds, as well as optimise the MSC’s uptake of several bioactive DDRs. In collaboration with partners in Greece and Germany, you will also develop and validate assays for the assessment of MSC functionality on bioactive implants. In Greenbone project, you will be testing the attachment and growth of human bone marrow cells on GreenBone scaffold, as well as the endothelial cell-MSC interactions on the scaffold surface.

The post holder will also liaise with the research group, specifically dedicated to this project, and based in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering, as required.

To explore the post further or for any enquiries you may have, please contact:

Dr. Elena Jones, Associate Professor (Non-Clinical)

Tel: +44 (0)113 2065647; email: e.jones@leeds.ac.uk

OR

Professor Peter Giannoudis, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

Tel + 44 (0) 113 0113-20-67068; email: P.Giannoudis@leeds.ac.uk.

Further Information

The University of Leeds is committed to providing equal opportunities for all and offers a range of family friendly policies. The University is a charter member of Athena SWAN and holds the Bronze award. The School of Medicine holds the Gold award.  We are committed to being an inclusive medical school that values all staff, and we are happy to consider job share applications and requests for flexible working arrangements from our employees.

Location:  Leeds – St James University Hospital

Faculty/Service:  Faculty of Medicine & Health

School/Institute:  Leeds Institute of Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Medicine (LIRMM)

Section:  Section of Experimental Rheumatology

Category:  Research

Grade:  Grade 7

Salary:  £33,797 to £40,322 p.a.

Working Time:  100% FTE

Post Type:  Full Time

Contract Type:  Fixed Term (Available immediately on a fixed-term basis for 27 months or until 31 December 2023 (whichever is sooner))

Release Date:  Thursday 09 April 2020

Closing Date:  Tuesday 21 April 2020

Reference:  MHLRM1130

Downloads:  Candidate Brief

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