Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease

An exciting opportunity has arisen for two highly motivated individuals to join a vibrant and expanding multidisciplinary team working in Ophthalmic Bioengineering led by Professor Williams. You will have the ambition to develop your expertise in this cross-disciplinary field and the aim of developing your research independence within a 3 to 5 year time frame.

You will be expected to publish your research in high quality journals and present at national and international conferences to enhance the reputation of the group. You will also be expected to work closely with our industrial and academic collaborators.

Post 1

This post will underpin the design and production of advanced gel materials with key features that drive the biological response required to overcome the destructive nature of the ocular surface diseases causing vision loss.

Key areas to be developed include:

• the design and development of novel materials for contact lenses
• the design of advanced gels to replace damaged corneas

You will work closely with Professor Williams and a lecturer (to be appointed) on the design and development of novel gels, their surface functionalisation and their cellular interactions. You should have experience of materials science and cell/material interactions.

Within this post there is the opportunity, and thus you should be available, to spend 6 months at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia learning techniques for the extraction and recombinant production of proteoglycans and their application in surface modification to aid wound healing.

Post 2

This post will underpin the development of advanced material surfaces with key features that drive the biological response required to control cellular interactions.

Key areas to be developed include:

• the development of functionalised surfaces for conjunctival cell transplantation
• the development of controlled substrates for cell expansion using surfaces designed to model the extracellular environment

You will work closely with Professor Williams and a lecturer (to be appointed). You should have experience of materials science, surface modification and cell/material interactions.

For both posts you should have a PhD in biomaterials science, cell/materials interactions or equivalent. You will have excellent written and spoken English, proven ability to prioritise and time manage work activities, work to deadlines and demonstrate initiative, excellent team working skills, be highly motivated, ambitious and have potential for research independence. Both posts are available for 3 years with the possibility of extension.

Job Ref: R-585936/JAC
Closing Date: 2 July 2014

For full details, or to request an application pack, visit www.liv.ac.uk/working/job_vacancies/

or e-mail jobs@liv.ac.uk, please quote Job Ref in all enquiries