Position Title: Investigator AMR Biology (H3D) Science

Requisition ID: 984

Department:

City: Cape Town

Investigator (AMR Biology)

(PC10) 5-year contract

Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre

Faculty of Science

The Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) is seeking an Investigator in Biosciences for a laboratory-based position focused on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The primary job role will be to provide scientific and technical support as part of an interdisciplinary translational research team discovering and developing innovative, lifesaving medicines. Specifically, this position will focus on compound screening against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria using phenotypic and target-based approaches as well as deconvoluting the mechanisms of action for phenotypic hits. The successful applicant will be required to work with ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp pathogens) as well as other locally relevant bacterial pathogens. The Investigator will work within H3D’s Biosciences group at the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine (IDM). Thus, the successful applicant will have access to a dynamic community of basic and translational scientists within the Institute in addition to the interdisciplinary team at H3D.

Requirements for the job:

A PhD in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or related field
At least 2 years’ post-PhD hands-on experience (postdoc/industry) in the area of bacteriology or bacterial molecular biology
Established skills in microbiology including minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and related assays
Experience in bacterial molecular biology applications e.g. constructing recombinant bacterial strains
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Effective teamwork skills and ability to work in a matrix environment
Relevant publication record

Advantages:

Experience in molecular cloning of genes from ESKAPE pathogens.
Experience in whole genome sequence analysis or RNA sequence analysis
Experience deconvoluting molecular targets and resistance mechanisms of compunds with phenotypic activity
Experience setting up medium to high-throughput microbiological assays and/or biochemical assays in 96-well/384-well plate format
Good understanding of the AMR drug discovery landscape
Laboratory management and co-ordination experience
Drug discovery experience
Experience managing health and safety processes in microbiology laboratory

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following:

Independently running phenotypic/biochemical assays for compound library screening
Molecular biology experiments, constructing recombinant strains
Independently running various microbiological assays such as time-kill kinetics, growth curves, MICs under varied conditions and against various mutant strains, rate of resistance determinations, etc.
Sharing general lab-duties; working collaboratively with all team and lab members
Presenting findings within H3D structures and to relevant collaborators
Proactively sharing technical expertise with H3D team members and the broader IDM/UCT community as needed.

The annual cost of employment, including benefits, is between R639 581 and R752 447.

The successful applicant should ideally be available to commence as soon as possible, preferably by April 2025.

To apply, please visit the UCT Jobs Site (www.jobs.uct.ac.za ) to create a candidate profile and to submit your application.

Please complete/attach the following to your profile before submitting your application:

Cover letter describing experience in relation to the requirements of the job
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Names and contact details of three referees.

An application which does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and may be required to undergo a competency test.

Any enquiries around the application process to be addressed to Ms Natasha Khan at natasha.khan@uct.ac.za or 021 650 3469

For any further information about the details of the position, contact Dr Nikki Cardoso (nikki.cardoso@uct.ac.za)

Website: www.h3d.uct.ac.za

Closing date: 07 March 2025

UCT is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress in achieving its equity targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets. Preference will be given to candidates from the under-represented designated groups. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at https://uct.ac.za/media/9482.

UCT reserves the right not to appoint.