Job Description

Post:Clinical Post Doctoral Research Fellow

Department:Clinical Sciences

Faculty:Clinical Sciences and International Public

Responsible to:Dr D. Ferreira

Background Information:

The post seeks to appoint an enthusiastic and dedicated person to provide co-ordination of the Experimental Human Pneumococcal Carriage programme which includes commercial and non-commercial studies. You will work alongside the Principal Investigator and the multidisciplinary respiratory research team including research scientists and clinical staff.

You will be responsible for recruiting participants into clinical trials, coordinating appointments and sample collection with the scientists, developing protocols and research related documents, leading IRAS applications for new studies and assisting research bronchoscopy. The successful candidate should have an academic interest and be keen to disseminate study findings at conferences and through publications. You will have excellent communication skills and be able to present information to a wide audience through patient and public engagement events.

We are seeking a team player and an individual who has excellent computer and organization skills, effective time management and extensive clinical research experience. The successful applicant will have with a commitment to providing an efficient research service, recruiting time to target in a dynamic research team.

Respiratory infections affect the young, the old, the poor and the vulnerable world-wide. Our research targets the best methods of reducing susceptibility to infection, improving prevention and optimising treatment. The experimental human pneumococcal carriage (EHPC) model has been successfully developed in healthy volunteers and will now be used to test novel pneumococcal vaccines with commercial partners and further developed in susceptible groups such as elderly and asthmatics.

We strongly encourage and will welcome potential applicants to visit the research group prior to application/ interview. Please contact Dr Daniela Ferreira / Dr Jamie Rylance to arrange an informal visit.

Summary of Role:

Clinical Post Doctoral Research Fellow will work on on-going projects within the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Clinical Research Facility in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital Trust (RLUHT). The successful candidate will be responsible for training and management of junior research nurses, trial set and and management as well as regulatory and governance compliance.

Main Duties and responsibilities:

Clinical

Support and train junior research nurses in developing systems and processes to include:

  • screening and recruitment of research volunteers
  • lung function testing
  • informed consent,
  • Develop procedures and techniques to ensure to provide reliable clinical sampling including those specific to EHPC,
  • Assisting Research bronchoscopy and BAL including post-procedure monitoring and follow-up.
  • Clinical duties may also be required; history taking, examination and record-keeping skills are essential.
  • Safety monitoring of participants and develop systems for adverse events reporting within the regulatory framework.
  • Liaise with the clinical laboratory to co-ordinate the management of laboratory samples between sites.

Clinical Trial and Research Management

  • Plan and conduct clinical trial or cohort studies on the EHPC Programme.
  • Implementation of systems to ensure regulatory and ethical compliance including the preparation of research protocols, case report forms, ethical and regulatory approvals with the Health Research Authority and the Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
  • Develop research reports including annual reports to ethics, MHRA and funders and weekly safety reports.
  • Develop systems, essential documents and support for the clinical team consistent with Good Clinical Practice and other national standards.
  • Ensure effective collaboration during the research with stakeholders including the Clinical Research Network, Clinical Research Facility Royal Hospital, MHRA, Health Research Authority, Ethics, General Practitioners and Pharmaceutical Suppliers.
  • Establish systems for public engagement.
  • Support colleagues to resolve recruitment and safety issues.
  • Risk assess research procedures to minimise risks to patients, staff or data reliability.

Administrative

Be responsible to ensure clinical studies paperwork, file notes and CRFs as well as Trial Master Files adhere to R&D and MHRA standards and are inspection-ready.

To include calendar/diary keeping, writing and development and management of NHS research and ethics committees (REC) protocols, Trust research and development (R&D) office links and providing a clinical-laboratory link between collaborating clinical and laboratory sites in Liverpool and elsewhere. Office facilities at the RLUHT and LSTM will be provided.

Person specifications: Clinical Post Doctoral Research Fellow

Criteria / Essential / Desirable
Education & Training / Clinical qualification
PhD in a relevant subject / Research experience and/or statistics
Experience / Academic career intention
Experience managing clinical trials anddeveloping standards and procedures
Experience in Clinical Trial Regulatory Framework including ethics approvals.
Development of clinical trial protocols within the NIHR and understanding of the research governance framework
Trial Steering / Data Safety Monitoring Committees / Laboratory experience - particularly in microbiology/immunology
Peer-reviewed publications
Working in a multidisciplinary team with a collaborative approach
Skills & Abilities / Good communication skills
Excellent record keeping skills
Excellent team member able to create and maintain strong inter-disciplinary relationships
Computer literate with working knowledge of MS Office applications
Excellent time management and organisational skills / Clinical experience with bronchoscopy skills
Basic systematic review and RCT trials knowledge
Special Aptitude / Fastidious attention to detail
Able to work flexibly
Enthusiastic approach to work
Ability to support research team with clinical trial management including developing grants, protocol development, regulatory, ethical aspects of clinical trials. / A desire to use professional ability to improve the circumstances of those in developing countries in relation to infectious diseases.
Willing to support research in developing countries