Research Fellow in CAR-T Analytics

LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY

Job Description

Research Fellow in CAR-T Analytics

Department: Research: Targeted Intervention

Reports to

Professor of Engineering The

Context

The UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science is a collaborative and cross-disciplinary environment where clinicians, engineers, allied health professionals and researchers are constantly striving for innovative approaches to treatment. This in and includes developing highly effective methods which go beyond the boundaries of conventional wisdom and treating each patient as an individual.

As a world leader in medical and biomedical research we can see at first-hand the directions in and and which medicine and science are moving and where patient and industry needs are growing. This knowledge ensures that we are producing and teaching some of the mo st innovative master’s courses for clinicians and scientists across the world.

Additionally, our cutting-edge research expertise and aims for ensures that the latest techniques are taught using the most advanced equipment. Finally, we offer innovative master’s courses led by world leading experts, providing a truly research-based learning

Grade: (maximum salary spine point 32)

Fulltime: 1FTE/ 36.5 hours per week

Duration: Starting immediately for 12 months.

Location: Charles Bell House, Bloomsbury campus experience delivered by some of the greatest minds in science and medicine today.

Division reaching across three London campuses (Bloomsbury, Royal Free and Stanmore) brings together three major research departments: Targeted Intervention, Surgical Biotechnology and Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science. Within these departments are world class research centres, specialising many different surgical interventional specialties.

The Division also offers teaching and training in a wide range of subjects with intercalated BSc options for UCL medical students, direct MBBS teaching, undergraduate postgraduate taught research programmes for both clinicians and nonclinicians.

The Division holds a silver award for the Athena Swan Charter which recognizes advancement of gender equality representation, progression, and success for all.

Further information on the Division can be found at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/surgery/

Main purpose of the job

You will be employed on a Versus Arthritis Translational Award led by Professor John Counsell, developing in vivo CAR-T cell therapy for lupus and inflammatory arthritis using novel UCL lentiviral vector technologies, including targeted envelopes, and proprietary expression backbones.

This job the You will lead the in vivo preclinical work package, in of the post and, as and which T cell-targeted vectors are administered intravenously to PBMC-humanised NSG mice to generate CD19 CAR-T cells directly within the animal. You will compare targeting envelopes and vector backbones for CAR-T generation efficiency, persistence, biodistribution and CD19+ target cell elimination.

skills and The post is funded from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027 at Grade 7, spine point 32. You will work closely with the Research Fellow leading vector development and ex vivo human cell validation, and with clinical collaborators in UCLH

Rheumatology.

Duties and responsibilities

• Design, clone and produce lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with targeted envelopes
• Perform transduction and potency assays in PBMCs
• Quantify off-target transduction of non-T cell populations and determine vector copy numbers
• Analyse and interpret data liaising with scientists months, full time), funded by a Versus Arthritis Translational Award.

The post-holder will carry out any other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the line manager or Head of Department.

description reflects present requirements duties responsibilities change/develop, the job description will be reviewed and amended in consultation with the post holder.

The post holder will be required to actively follow

UCL Core Behaviours Framework as part of their ongoing commitment to personal and professional development. This framework helps to identify and develop knowledge, behaviours most appropriate to their current and future roles and should help them achieve their own goals as well as helping to progress UCL’s Vision.

The staff member has a responsibility to carry out their duties in a resource efficient way and actively support UCL’s Sustainability Strategy, policies and objectives within the remit of their role.

The post holder will actively follow and promote UCL policies, including Equal Opportunities.

The post holder will maintain an awareness and observation of fire and health and safety regulations.

working on other arms of the project

• Contribute to the preclinical data package supporting regulatory interactions and follow-on funding applications
• Keep the supervisor up to date with the progress and timing of agreed experiments and contribute to project and funder reporting
• Liaise with other lab members and contribute to the overall running of the lab
• Contribute to the induction and direction of other research staff and students as requested
• Take responsibility for ensuring that equipment is safe and maintained in working order
• Contribute to related work, as required

This post is available at Grade 7, spine point 32, from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027 (12

Person Specification

Criteria

Essential or Desirable

Qualifications, experience and knowledge

PhD (awarded, or submitted/near completion) in molecular biology, bioengineering, gene E therapy or a closely related discipline Hands-on experience of lentiviral vector engineering, production, purif ication and titration E Experience of vector retargeting, including engineering of envelope glycoproteins and E pseudotyping Experience of designing and cloning immunotherapy payloads (e.g. CAR constructs, scFv -E based receptors) Isolation, culture, activation and maintenance of primary human PBMCs and T cells

E

Experience of CAR potency assays (antigen-specif ic cytotoxicity/killing assays, cytokine E release) Multiparameter f low cytometry, including panel design and data analysis (e.g. FlowJo) D Experience of qPCR/ddPCR f or vector copy number or titration

D

Experience of FACS sorting and downstream molecular analysis of sorted populations D Knowledge of ATMP regulatory expectations f or biodistribution and preclinical saf ety D packages Publications and/or conf erence presentations in gene therapy, vector engineering or D immunotherapy

Skills and abilities

Good organisational skills and attention to detail

E

Ef f ective spoken and written English

E

Ability to analyse, interpret, statistically test and write up data (e.g. GraphPad Prism, R) E Ability to contribute to publications, patent f ilings and grant reporting

D

Experience of supervising or training junior researchers and students

D

Personal attributes

Willingness to learn and adapt to new techniques

E

Ability to work collaboratively and as part of a team but be able to function independently and E ef f ectively without supervision Commitment to translational research and to working with clinical and commercial partners D

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s academic talent, from local to global. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and we all belong.

inclusive, and to being a place where

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates currently underrepresented in UCL’s academic, research and teaching workforce.

These include: people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled-people; LGBTQ+ people; and women.

Apply

To apply for this position visit: ucl.ac.uk/jobs For informal enquiries about the role, please contact Professor John Counsell on j.counsell@ucl.ac.uk For queries about the recruitment and application process, please contact the Staffing Manager on l.oppong@ucl.ac.uk

Appendix 1 UCL Equal Opportunity Policy

UCL is committed to f ostering a positive culture where all staf f , students, and visitors can f lourish, where none will f eel compelled to conceal or play down elements of their identity f or f ear of being stigmatised. UCL aims to be a university where people are encouraged to be authentic and their unique perspective, experiences, and skills are seen as valuable assets. To view UCL Equality Policy Statement, please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/policies/2017/dec/equalopportunities. Please also view our current Equity and Inclusion Plan here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/equalityucl/new-ucl-plan-launched-ensuremomentum-equity-and-inclusion/equity-and-inclusion-plan.

Further Information;

If you are interested in f inding more about any aspect of equality, diversity , and inclusion at UCL you can contact equalities@ucl.ac.uk Departmental Equal Opportunity Liaison Officers (DEOLOs) Most UCL departments have a DELO to assist with queries or concerns relating to equality, diversity and inclusion. To f ind your DEOLO please visit the DEOLO page on the UCL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) website https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/ Equality Areas and Support for Students, Staff and Manager https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/equality-areas

Working at UCL

Jobs inf ormation and inf ormation f or new starters https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/workingucl

Wellbeing at UCL

Wellbeing at UCL is the f ive year wellbeing strategy f or the whole UCL community (staf f and students). Please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/health-wellbeing/wellbeingucl

Environmental Statement

The staf f has the responsibility to carry out their duties in a resource ef f icient way and actively support UCL’s sustainability Policy with the remit of their role https://www.ucl.ac.uk/greenucl/ucls-sustainability-policy