Postdoctoral Fellow, Noncommunicable Diseases, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Postdoctoral Fellow, Noncommunicable Diseases, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Entity            Medical College

Location        Karachi, Pakistan

Introduction    Aga Khan University chartered in 1983 as Pakistan's first private international university, is committed to the provision of education, research, and health care of international standards relevant to Pakistan and the region. The affiliated Aga Khan University Hospital provides state-of-the-art clinical facilities and well-equipped diagnostic services. The University currently has teaching sites in Pakistan, East Africa, the United Kingdom, and Afghanistan, and is a major component of Aga Khan Development Network.

As an equal opportunity employer, AKU believes in promoting a diverse and inclusive culture and is committed to adopt appropriate standards for safeguarding and promoting a respectful relationship with and between diverse workforce of its faculty, staff, trainees, volunteers, beneficiaries, wider communities, and other stakeholders with whom it works, including children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees/trainees and partners to share this commitment.

Consistent with the mission of the Aga Khan University (AKU), the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) strives for excellence in research, education and training. The department is committed to the development of innovative aspects of relevant, thematic research in basic and applied health sciences. 

The University invites outstanding candidates well-grounded in biological and / or health sciences, who are strongly motivated for research to apply for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in BBS and CRM (the Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research), to work within the department's programmatic research focus on microbiology. They will be responsible for undertaking independent research and/or participating in research activities, carrying out assigned administrative responsibilities related to research and undertaking other scholarly activities. The postdoctoral fellow’s work responsibilities will consist of 100% Research work. The position will be for a period of two years from the date of appointment, renewable for one more year if there is a justified need. 

The Postdoctoral Fellowship is a fulltime appointment, which will require the selected candidate to within the department’s programmatic research focus and develop her or his own professional and research skills, with the intention of emerging as an independent researcher. Selected candidates will be part of a multi-disciplinary team which collectively builds critical capacity in disease modelling.  

ResponsibilitiesThe incumbent will be involved in planning justifiable activities and hands-on bench research. Specifically, you will be responsible for:

• undertaking hands-on bench research at AKU-CRM 
• developing protocols for conducting the study and having them approved by the Ethical Committee 
• participating and presenting research findings in national and international academic conferences/symposiums
• undertaking periodic review and assessment with presentations to the CRM faculty and CRM Director about the progress of the research project/s
• applying and maintaining the highest laboratory, health and safety protocols and ethical standards set out by CRM in line with international protocol
• ensuring all research is up to international standards and is in accordance with the standards set by UCSF/AKU
• writing and publishing research papers in peer-reviewed indexed journals of international standing
• participating in research studies with senior colleagues including designing instruments, collecting, analyzing and compiling data
• writing grant proposals in collaborative projects and co-author research papers with other faculty members, where needed
• providing suggestions in developing policies and ethical processes of international standards pertaining to research conduction, stem cell lines development, and maintaining stem cell lines and laboratory equipment
• participating in the affairs of learned and professional societies and keeping self-abreast of research and development in education and related disciplines.

RequirementsYou should have:

• a Ph.D. or equivalent in molecular biology or in the relevant subject area
• at least one year relevant work experience
• passion for research and bench-side experience
• extensive first-hand laboratory experience
• relevant publications in journals of international repute
• grants acquisition and hypothesis-driven grant-funded research 
• demonstrated teaching capacity and knowledge of new teaching methodologies and practices
• evidence of scholarship in practice, education, or research
• good communication skills and fluency in spoken and written English
• good academic writing skills and conceptual and analytical skills
• commitment to learning and growth, and self -development
• ability to work in a challenging environment
• excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills
• ability to multi-task several projects and work in a fast-paced environment
• proven ability to work well with a certain degree of autonomy and function successfully in a team environment.

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.