Current Job Openings at Africa Health Research Institute

The Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) is recruiting a Microbiology Laboratory Technician to join the research diagnostic lab team based at AHRI Durban research campus. The Microbiology Laboratory Technician’s will mainly be responsible for performing various diagnostic and research procedures/assays as required by various research projects that include testing for sexually transmitted infections, respiratory infections and working with strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a Biosafety Level 3 laboratory (BSL3). The incumbent will perform microbiology, molecular biology and other biochemistry techniques. The position requires a dedicated individual who is self-motivated, committed to service excellence and possesses outstanding attention to detail skills.

Overview of Duties

• Keep accurate records.
• Maintain good clinical laboratory practice.
• Conducts microbiology experiments including culture and susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis.
• Conducts molecular biology experiments including genetic manipulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in BSL3.
• Implement and maintain sound general BSL3 and BSL2 housekeeping procedures and work effectively with others as a team to ensure delivery of quality work and a safe working environment in accordance with health and safety protocols.
• Writing of new SOP’s and reviewing of existing ones as required.
• Implement corrective and preventive actions as identified.
• Operate maintain and calibrate laboratory equipment to ensure that it is working efficiently and providing accurate results, this includes recording instrument maintenance and quality control results.
• Troubleshoot test and instrument issues and report incidents including instrument failures, human errors and test failures to Lab Supervisor or the Clinical Laboratory Manager.
• Perform overtime/shifts, including weekends, when required.
• Employ laboratory tools including equipment and the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and various software to perform required tasks

Minimum Qualifications

• B.Tech/BSc degree in Mircobiology

Minimum Experience

• 2-3 years related laboratory experience.

Advantageous

• Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) registration.
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis BSL3 laboratory experience.
• Experience in Staining and culture of M. tuberculosis.
• Experience in drug Susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis.
• Experience in Molecular biology

AHRI is fully compliant with South African labour law and is committed to employment equity. AHRI reserves the right in special circumstances to accept late applications or to extend the above date in order to facilitate further searches. Furthermore, AHRI reserves the right not to make an appointment.

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The Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) is recruiting a Virology Intern to join the Ndung'u Lab based at AHRI Durban Research campus. The Virology Intern will be responsible for supporting ongoing virology research on SARS-COV-2 by assisting in maintaining cultured cell lines and carrying Live Virus Neutralization assays on different SARS-COV-2 variants. This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in Virology Research, Cellular Biology Techniques, and Laboratory Operations. To read more about Prof. Thumbi Ndung'u and the amazing work his research team does please follow this link https://www.ahri.org/org/scientist/thumbi-ndungu/.

Cell Culture Maintenance

• Prepare and maintain cell lines for virus propagation, ensuring proper culture conditions, sterility, and growth optimization.
• Perform regular cell passaging, media changes, and monitoring to maintain healthy cell cultures.

Virus Propagation

• Assist in the propagation of viruses within established cell lines under controlled conditions.

Experimental Setup:

• Prepare reagents, media, and solutions needed for experiments.
• Assist in conducting experiments to quantify viral titers and investigate virus-cell interactions.

Samples Handling:

• Organize and prepare samples for further experiments, such as Live Virus Neutralization (LVN) and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) assays.

Data Recording and Analysis:

Record experimental data accurately and maintain detailed laboratory notebooks.

Adherence to Safety Protocols:

• Follow established safety protocols and guidelines for working with biohazardous materials.
• Practice good laboratory hygiene and maintain awareness of potential risks.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors or B.Tech degree in Biology, Microbiology, Virology, Molecular Biology, or a related field.

Advantageous

• Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Biology, Microbiology, Virology, Molecular Biology, or a related field.
• Basic understanding of Cell Culture Techniques, Virology Principles, and Laboratory Practices.
• Ability to clearly document experimental procedures and results.

AHRI is fully compliant with South African labour law and is committed to employment equity. AHRI reserves the right in special circumstances to accept late applications or to extend the above date in order to facilitate further searches. Furthermore, AHRI reserves the right not to make an appointment.

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The executive personal assistant will provide critical support to the Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) Lead at AHRI. This role will serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies on all matters pertaining to the HDSS and related Population Science Research. The ideal individual will have the ability to exercise good judgment in a variety of situations, with strong written and verbal communication, administrative, and organizational skills, and the ability to maintain a realistic balance among multiple priorities. The executive PA must have the ability to work independently on projects, from conception to completion, and must be able to work under pressure at times to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters with discretion.

Overview of duties

• Completes a broad variety of administrative tasks including managing an extremely active calendar of appointments; completing expense reports; composing and preparing correspondence that is sometimes confidential; arranging complex and detailed travel plans, itineraries, and agendas; and compiling documents for travel-related meetings.
• Plans, coordinates, and ensures that schedule is followed and respected. Provides "gatekeeper" and "gateway" role.
• Researches, prioritizes, and follows up on incoming issues and concerns, including those of a sensitive or confidential nature. Determines appropriate course of action, referral, or response.
• Provides a bridge for smooth communication between the office and internal departments; demonstrating leadership to maintain credibility, trust and support with senior management staff.
• Works closely and effectively with HDSS Lead to keep them well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up appropriately. Acts as a "barometer," having a sense for the issues taking place in the environment and keeping the HDSS Lead updated.
• Provides leadership to build relationships crucial to the success of the organization and manages a variety of special projects for the HDSS Lead, some of which may have organizational impact.
• Successfully completes critical aspects of deliverables with a hands-on approach, including drafting acknowledgement letters, personal correspondence, and other tasks that facilitate the HDSS Lead’s ability to effectively lead his team.
• Prioritizes conflicting needs; handles matter expeditiously, proactively, and follows-through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures.

Qualification

• A relevant degree qualification.
• Qualification in Project management or Communications is preferable.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a similar role
• Experience in scientific activities related to the work of the institute is an advantage.
• Well-developed oral and written communication skills
• A very high level of IT competence, using a range of hardware platforms, with proficiency specifically in Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat Professional and web- based forms, including calendar.
• Able to set up conference calls. Skilled in the use of social media platforms

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The Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) is recruiting a highly motivated MSc student to join the Leslie Group under the mentorship/supervision of Dr. Robert Krause. To read more about Prof. Al Leslie and the amazing work his team does please follow this link https://www.ahri.org/scientist/al-leslie/.

Position description

The candidate will work on a project that seeks to identify antibody signatures associated with TB diseased lung tissue. This will entail comparing antibody responses in human TB lungs and matched plasma and include basic isotyping assays in addition to exploring the antigen specificity of the antibodies using phage display libraries and sequencing. The main goal of this research is to contribute to the development of potential biomarkers and host-directed therapies for TB.

The candidate will be based at Africa Health Research Institute’s state-of-the-art facility in Durban, South Africa. The successful candidate will benefit from an integrated network of innovative international and local research collaborations that combine unique clinical samples and cutting-edge technology. Incumbents will be based in a lab that is equipped with flow cytometers, microscopy and immunohistochemistry equipment, including laser capture micro-dissection and spatial omics Nano string technology. The MSc student will be afforded numerous mentorship opportunities and support towards the attainment of fellowship funding.

Minimum Qualifications

• Honours degree in any of the following areas: immunology, cell biology, systems biology, pathology, molecular biology, biochemistry or any related biomedical sciences.

Advantageous

• Expertise in one of the following technologies/techniques: ELISA, SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, affinity chromatography, PCR, tissue staining, immunopathology, flow cytometry, microscopy, bioinformatics or proteomics/transcriptomics.
• Experience in human immunology and working in BSL3 will be most desirable.

Duration of scholarship

This master's scholarship offer will be valid for a period of 2-years.

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The Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) is recruiting an Informatics Intern to join the Sigal Lab. The Informatics Intern will work with large datasets generated through multiple research projects. The incumbent will learn and perform data sourcing, wrangling, cleaning, biostatical analyses, and database upkeep. The incumbent will contribute to building capacity in bioinformatics and big data analytics.
The incumbent will be eligible to apply to the University College London degree program in accorMidance with AHRI policies at time of application following the one-year internship (to be confirmed).

Minimum Qualifications

• Honours degree in Health Data Science or Bioinformatics with a final mark of 70% or above.

Minimum Experience

• A strong foundation in mathematics
• Good skills in computer programming, with experience of at least one high-level programming language (e.g. Python/R)