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LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE
(University of London)
FACULTY OF INFECTIOUS AND TROPICAL DISEASES
DEPARTMENT OF IMMUNOLOGY AND INFECTION
1. ADVERTISEMENT
FULL TIME RESEARCH FELLOW / PART TIME LECTURER
IMMUNOPARASITOLOGY/MOLECULAR PARASITOLOGY
We are seeking to appoint an immunologist to contribute to an NIH-funded research programme
entitled “PRISM – Programme for Resistance, Immunology and Surveillance of Malaria in
Uganda” which includes field studies in Uganda, Africa as well as laboratory work at LSHTM
and at the University of California, San Francisco.
The successful applicant will have a PhD in immunoparasitology or molecular parasitology,
research experience in human immunoparasitology and a record of high quality publications in
peer-reviewed journals. They will also have prior experience in sero-epidemiology and/or
overseas field research.
The post is funded by the National Institutes of Health USA for a period of 9 months in the first
instance and is available from 1st October 2012. If the successful candidate is appointed at
Lecturer level, the post will be funded part-time at 3½ days per week (0.7 FTE). If appointed at
Research Fellow level, the post will be funded full time (1.0 FTE). Salary at Lecturer level is
from £41,627 to £47,652 pro rata (per annum inclusive) and at Research Fellow level from
£35,661 to £36,387 (per annum inclusive).
Applications should be made on-line via our website at jobs.lshtm.ac.uk. The reference for this
post is CD-IMP. Online applications will be accepted by the automated system until midnight of
the closing date. Any queries regarding the application process may be addressed to
[email protected].
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to being an equal
opportunities employer
2.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is one of Europe’s leading schools of Public
Health and a leading postgraduate institution worldwide for research and postgraduate
education in global health.
Part of the University of London, the London School is the largest institution of its kind in Europe
with a remarkable depth and breadth of expertise encompassing many disciplines. The School
was ranked one of the top 3 research institutions in the country in the Times Higher Education’s
'table of excellence', which is based on the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). In
2009, the School became the first UK institution to win the Gates Award for Global Health.
The School’s environment is a rich multicultural one: there are almost 4000 students from 100+
countries following 22 taught masters courses delivered either in London (~650) or through
distance learning (~2700), and undertaking research degree training (~400). Over 40% of these
students are from non-European countries. The largest growth has been in distance learning
students (>40% over 3 years), though the London-based student population (where
accommodation limits growth) is at its highest level ever. Alumni are working in more than 180
countries. The School has about 1500 staff drawn from over 60 nationalities.
There are research collaborations with over 100 countries throughout the world, utilizing our
critical mass of multidisciplinary expertise which includes clinicians, epidemiologists,
statisticians, social scientists, economists, molecular biologists, immunologists,
ophthalmologists, anthropologists, virologists, pharmacologists and nutritionists. At any one time
around 100 School staff are based overseas, particularly in Africa and Asia. We have a strong
commitment to partnership with institutions in low and middle income countries to support the
development of teaching and research capacity.
The School has expanded greatly in recent years. Its research funding now exceeds £67M per
annum, much of it from highly competitive national and international sources. The commitment
of staff to methodological rigour, innovative thinking and policy relevance will ensure that the
School continues to occupy a leadership position in national and global health, adapting quickly
to new challenges and opportunities.
Mission
To improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve
excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into
policy and practice.
Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
The Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases encompasses all of the laboratory-based
research in the School as well as that on the clinical and epidemiological aspects of infectious
and tropical diseases. It is headed by Simon Croft, who is Professor of Parasitology. The
range of disciplines represented in the Faculty is very broad and inter-disciplinary research is a
feature of much of our activity. The spectrum of diseases studied is wide and there are major
research groups with a focus on malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
diseases, vaccine development and evaluation, and vector biology and disease control. The
Faculty is organised into four large research departments comprising: Pathogen Molecular
Biology, Immunology and Infection, Disease Control, and Clinical Research. There is close
interaction between scientists in different research teams. The Faculty has strong overseas
links, which provide a basis for field studies and international collaborations in developed and
developing countries. The teaching programme includes MSc courses, taught in-house and by
distance learning, which are modular in structure, a variety of short-courses and an active
doctoral programme (PhD and DrPH).
Department of Immunology and Infection (Head: Professor Eleanor Riley)
Research in the Department of Immunology and Infection centres on analysis of the host
response to infection at the molecular, cellular and population levels. The goals are to develop a
greater understanding of basic mechanisms of immunological protection versus pathology, and
to apply this knowledge to the development of immunological interventions and the identification
of correlates of immune status. Our work involves application of state-of-the-art cellular and
molecular approaches to the in vitro analysis of pathogen-host cell interactions, to in vivo
studies in models and to the study of immunity at the population level in disease endemic areas.
Main areas of research include the regulation of acute and chronic inflammation; macrophagepathogen interactions; cellular pharmacology; the production of cytokines during innate and
acquired immune responses; T-cell function and antigen recognition; the mechanisms of
immunopathology; the development of vaccines; and delivery systems for vaccines and drugs.
Current research includes the role of acute phase proteins in resistance to infection,
homeostasis and inflammatory disease, mechanisms of macrophage activation, control of
cytokine synthesis and mammalian lectin interactions (J. Raynes); intracellular trafficking and
secretory pathways of cells of the immune system (T. Ward); the role of innate responses in
resistance to the bacterial pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Burkholderia
pseudomallei, activity and regulation of natural killer cells and their effect on macrophage
activation and recruitment, regulation of chemokine receptors during infection and
granulomatous tissue responses in the lung against Cryptococcus neoformans and
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (G. Bancroft); correlates of protection against tuberculosis and
studies of BCG vaccination, human CD8+ T-cell responses to mycobacterial antigens and
synthetic peptides, use of whole blood assays in immuno-epidemiology (H. Dockrell); cytokine
and chemokine responses to leprosy, cellular composition and effects of steroids on skin and
nerve lesions of reactional leprosy, identification of specific peptides for immunodiagnosis of
leprosy (S. Young); innate and adaptive immunity to malaria including activation of natural killer
cells, cytokine regulation in clinical immunity and immunopathology, regulation of antibody
production and immunoglobulin class switching (E. Riley); using anti-malarial antibodies as a
marker of malaria exposure and assessment of the use of sero-epidemiology to monitor and
target malaria control measures (C. Drakeley); transmission of Plasmodium falciparum malaria
including antibody responses to gametocyte-infected erythrocyte surface antigens, effect of
gamete antigen variability on transmission, gametocyte sequestration and development and
gametocyticidal drug therapy (C. Sutherland); characterisation of protective immune
mechanisms and defined antigens in attenuated vaccine models of schistosomiasis (Q. Bickle);
impact of concomitant viral, bacterial, protozoal and helminth infections on induction of immune
responses and immunopathology and T cell regulation and induction of mucosal immune
responses during intestinal nematode infections (H. Helmby); the identification and evaluation of
novel drugs and drug delivery systems for leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and malaria, and the
interaction between antiprotozoal drugs and the immune response (L. Vivas, V. Yardley).
Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology (Head: Professor John Kelly)
Research in the Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology focuses on the molecular biology
and genetics of pathogens and their hosts in the context of improving the understanding and
control of infectious diseases. Aspects of pathogen biology of interest include: (i) determining
the mechanisms of infection of globally important viral, bacterial and parasitic pathogens; (ii)
deciphering the genetic diversity of selected disease agents in natural populations and to
determine its epidemiological impact; (iii) studying immune evasion mechanisms of particular
disease agents; (iv) exploiting parasitic, bacterial and viral pathogens as model biological
systems; and (v) developing practical applications including improved diagnostic tests and the
identification and characterisation of vaccine candidates and drug targets.
PMBD currently has funding to investigate, amongst others, the malaria parasite (Plasmodium
spp), Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi), African sleeping sickness (Trypanosoma brucei),
amoebic dysentery (Entamoeba), the Leishmania species, bacterial food borne pathogens
(Campylobacter jejuni and Yersinia enterocolitica), gastric ulcers/cancer (Helicobacter pylori),
pseudomembranous colitis (Clostridium difficile), plague (Yersinia pestis), paddy field
melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei), Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis),
Pneumonia (Streptococcus pneumoniae), Bluetongue viral disease of livestock, Herpesviridae,
SARS, the hemorrhagic fever virus (RVFV) and the enteric rotavirus that cause significant
diarrhoeal disease in infants developing countries.
The long-term aim of PMBD research is to gain a fully rounded understanding of the complex
and dynamic ways by which pathogens modulate virulence and interact with the human host.
Such a holistic approach will vastly increase the scope for the rational of design of long-term
intervention strategies to reduce the burden of infectious disease. In recent years such a
mission has been significantly enhanced by the availability of whole genome sequences.
Members of the Department are, or have been, involved in several pathogen genome projects
including Herpes, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia pestis, Clostridium difficile, Entamoeba and
Trypanosome species. In particular, post genome studies have facilitated research on more
complex parasites such as Plasmodium, Entamoeba and Trypanosome species. The
interpretation and exploitation of this basic information is the platform for numerous new
avenues of research on pathogenesis, epidemiology and the evolution of virulence.
Department of Clinical Research (Head: Prof Alison Grant)
The Department of Clinical Research addresses infectious diseases of major public health
importance in developing countries. Activities include trials of new therapies, vaccines and
educational interventions; the development of new diagnostic tests; studies to elucidate the
immunological and molecular correlates of pathogenesis and protective immunity, and to
identify genetic polymorphisms conferring protection or susceptibility to infectious diseases;
health services research which aims to identify the most efficient and cost-effective way to
deliver health care; and health policy analysis. In addition to our many overseas collaborations,
we have close links with the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, in new, purpose-built
accommodation on the main UCL Hospital campus, five minutes walk from the School. The
Wellcome Trust Bloomsbury Centre for Clinical Tropical Medicine is based in the Department,
and currently supports five Clinical Training Fellows and two Career Development Fellows, most
of whom are based overseas.
Much of the Department’s research concerns HIV and related infections; in particular, the
interaction between HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases, and between HIV
infection and tuberculosis. We have longstanding and fruitful collaborations addressing these
issues in Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda and South Africa. Brian Greenwood FRS is leading an
initiative to strengthen malaria research in the School through new collaborative links in Africa.
Research and teaching on blinding diseases in developing countries has been greatly
strengthened by the recruitment of Allen Foster, who is Medical Director of CBM International,
an NGO with programmes for the prevention of blindness and disability in over 100 countries;
our research on trachoma has played an important part in framing the strategies adopted by the
WHO and the new International Trachoma Initiative for the elimination of blinding trachoma by
the year 2020.
Department of Disease Control (Head: Dr Mark Rowland)
This multidisciplinary Department includes epidemiologists, entomologists, anthropologists and
social scientists, clinical scientists, public health engineers, and geographers. This range of
expertise provides us with a battery of tools for focusing on the control of diseases that are
insect-borne, water-borne or associated with poor hygiene – mostly in developing countries.
Much of the research can be categorised as: evaluating disease control interventions;
investigating implementation strategies - including working with the private sector;
understanding the factors underlying household behaviour in relation to family health; or
determining how control resources can be targeted most efficiently. Particular attention is paid
to research directed at current health policy issues, including the gap between policy and
practice. The DFID Resource Centre for Water and Environmental Health (WELL) and the
Hygiene Centre make up the Department’s Environmental Health Group, which plays a
leadership role in research and operational support for hygiene promotion, water supply and
sanitation. The Department also houses the largest research group in LSHTM working on
malaria control, including the DIFD Team for Applied Research to Generate Effective Tools and
Strategies for communicable disease control (TARGETs) and the Malaria Capacity
Development Consortium (MCDC). The Department’s valuable mosquito colonies are used for
testing repellent products and insecticides in the laboratory. The Department also includes a
major grouping of researchers using spatial analysis in public health.
Teaching
The School offers 22 one year full-time taught courses leading to the Master of Science (MSc)
degree of the University of London and the Diploma of the London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine (DLSHTM). The Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases runs or
contributes substantially to ten of these courses and the “Immunology of Infectious Diseases”
course is run from within the Department of Immunology and Infection. In addition, the Faculty is
responsible for the three-month Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H) and offers
a range of specialist short courses lasting usually one or two weeks. Three MSc courses are
also offered by Distance-based Learning, including one on Infectious Diseases.
Research Training
The School offers two doctoral training programmes. The MPhil/PhD degrees are designed for
those who wish to go on to a full time research career. The DrPH is directed towards those who
expect their careers to be more in the practice of public health.
3. THE RESEARCH PROGRAMME
The aim of this research is to provide a longitudinal assessment of the malaria burden in
Uganda. The programme comprises integrated epidemiology, entomology and immunological
components. This post is associated with the latter and aims to develop and test immunologic
assays to assess malaria exposure and protection.
Exposure to Plasmodium falciparum leads to an immunologic response, the breadth and
magnitude of which increases with repeated exposures. This increasing immunologic response
gradually provides protection from disease (symptomatic illness), and eventually from infection
(parasitaemia), in those living in malaria endemic areas. Recent studies have capitalized on the
relationship between P. falciparum exposure and the immune response to show that it may be
possible to estimate transmission intensity in a community by measuring the prevalence of
antimalarial antibodies at particular ages. While promising, these initial serologic models are
limited in that they have been designed to estimate the average transmission intensity in a
population over a period of years. With increasing implementation of malaria control efforts in
Uganda, transmission intensity may change rapidly, and changes may vary substantially over
small spatial scales. Immunologic assays able to capture this temporal and spatial
heterogeneity would provide valuable tools for the surveillance of changing malaria transmission
and estimate the impact of control interventions. In addition, changes in a population’s exposure
to malaria leads to changes in the degree of immune protection which alter the relationship
between exposure and disease in a complicated fashion. Assays designed to assess
immunologic protection directly would help predict the impact of changing transmission on the
burden of disease.
A major barrier to developing immunologic assays to assess malaria exposure is lack of
knowledge about the fundamental relationship between P. falciparum infection and the resulting
immune response, including which biomarkers are most important and how quickly markers
change in response to changing exposure. Even less is known about markers of protection, and
there are currently no reliable biomarkers to assess the degree of protection in an individual or
community. We are in a unique position to provide these needed tools to the malaria research
community, with ongoing research using protein microarrays to broadly characterize the
serologic response to P. falciparum antigens, access to three existing, well characterized
cohorts in Uganda encompassing a wide range of exposure, and surveillance studies occurring
at six sites throughout the country which will be performed as part of Research Project 1 of this
proposal. Using data and samples from these studies, we propose the following aims:
Specific Aim 1: To characterize the individual-level relationships between P. falciparum
exposure, the immune response, and protection from disease in Ugandan cohorts.
Specific Aim 2: To develop and validate immunologic assays for estimating the population-level
dynamics of exposure to P. falciparum in surveillance studies performed throughout Uganda.
Specific Aim 3: To develop and validate immunologic assays for estimating the population-level
dynamics of disease in response to changing P. falciparum exposure in surveillance studies
performed throughout Uganda.
4. JOB DESCRIPTION
Post:
Full time Research Fellow / Part time Lecturer
Grade:
Academic Pathway Grade 6 at 1.0 FTE / Academic Pathway Grade 7 at
0.7 FTE
Responsible to:
Dr Chris Drakeley
Department:
Immunology and Infection (IID)
Start date:
1st October 2012 / As Soon As Possible
Hours of work:
There are no fixed hours of work for academic staff. Staff are expected to
work such hours at such times as are reasonably required to carry out the
duties associated with the post, but not less than 35 hours per week for a
full-time appointment.
Accountability:
The post holder will be responsible to the Programme Principal
Investigator, Dr Chris Drakeley, the Head of Department (currently
Professor Eleanor Riley) and the Head of Faculty (currently Professor
Simon Croft).
Main duties and responsibilities:
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Conducting research within an NIH-funded research programme entitled “PRISM:
Programme for Resistance, Immunology and Surveillance of Malaria in Uganda” which
includes field studies in Uganda, Africa as well as laboratory work at LSHTM and at the
University of California, San Francisco
Contributing to other projects on malaria serology
Contributing to laboratory management to a degree commensurate with experience
Disseminating research findings through international meetings and peer-reviewed
publications
Assisting with training and supervision of doctoral students (PhD and/or DrPh) and
academic visitors in research as appropriate
Assisting with supervision of MSc student projects
Playing an active part in the academic life of the School and participating in
departmental and faculty activities including participation in seminar programmes and
laboratory meetings
Any other reasonable duties as requested by the line manager, Head of Department or
Head of Faculty.
Teaching:
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Contributing to the Faculty teaching programme, up to 10% of his/her time per annum for
a Research Fellow post, or 15% for a Lecturer, subject to the policy of any funding
agency (by agreement, some staff may make a greater contribution than this).
5. PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential:
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PhD in immunoparasitology/molecular parasitology
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Research experience in humoral immunology and sero-epidemiology
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A record of high quality publications in peer-reviewed journals commensurate with
experience
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Demonstrable skills and experience with development and implementation of serological
assays for antibodies to infectious agents
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A meticulous approach to carrying out experiments and to recording of data, protocols and
daily activities
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Excellent time management, organisation and communication skills, including written and
spoken English
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Computer literate, e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and statistical software
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Demonstrable ability to work independently and as part of a team

Demonstrable ability and prior experience of working with people from diverse
backgrounds in a multicultural environment
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Flexibility in terms of working practice, role and working hours
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Willingness to travel and to spend periods working at field sites in remote locations in
Uganda
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Ambitious, self-motivating and with an open and friendly personality
Desirable:
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Prior experience of working with human samples
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Prior experience of working with malaria
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Prior experience of working with Luminex or Microarray
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Working knowledge of analytical packages for analysing large datasets
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Experience of recombinant protein production in different expression systems and product
validation
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Experience of field work in a malaria endemic setting
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Experience of supervision of students, technical staff and laboratory management
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Sufficient numerical and mathematical skills to manage large data sets and become adept
at standard statistical analyses
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Evidence of teaching and student supervision
6. SALARY AND CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT:
The appointment will be made on the Academic Pathway Grade 6 or 7, on a salary from
£35,661 to £36,387 (per annum inclusive) for Grade 6 at 1.0 FTE, or from £41,627 to £47,652
(per annum inclusive) on a pro rata basis at Grade 7 at 0.7 FTE. The successful candidate will
be placed on the scales according to skills and experience. The post is funded for 9 months in
the first instance with the possibility of an extension.
Annual leave entitlement is 30 working days per year for all staff (pro-rata for part-time staff). In
addition to this there are 6 fixed-date "Director's Days".
7.
APPLICATIONS
Applications should be made on-line via our website at http://jobs.lshtm.ac.uk. The reference for
this post is CD-IMP. Applications should also include the names and email contacts of 2
referees who can be contacted immediately if shortlisted. Any queries regarding the application
process may be addressed to [email protected].
The supporting statement section should set out how your qualifications, experience and
training meet each of the selection criteria. Please provide one or more paragraphs addressing
each criterion. The supporting statement is an essential part of the selection process and thus a
failure to provide this information will mean that the application will not be considered. An
answer to any of the criteria such as “Please see attached CV” will not be considered
acceptable.
Please note that if you are shortlisted and are unable to attend on the interview date it may not
be possible to offer you an alternative date.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to being an equal
opportunities employer