Laboratory Technical Specialist

Salary: £31,236 to £32,080 with progression to £34,610 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 16 December 2025

The Role

We are looking to recruit a laboratory technical specialist to support ongoing research studies on single- and multi-species biofilms conducted in the Translational Oral Biology laboratory based at the School of Dental Sciences. You will have opportunities to drive the development of microfluidics and live-cell fluorescent microscopy to understand how Candida spp. and Streptococci spp. respond to environmental changes, responses to antimicrobial agents such as chlorhexidine can be assessed in single- and communities-cell level. The role will provide a link between ongoing research in oral sciences and their partner Haleon.

The project will ideally require specific technical expertise in microbiology and/or imaging techniques, including microfabrication of microfluidics chips for live-cell microscopy.

The appointee will report to the Technical Team leader and will be supervised by senior research academics in the field (Dr Alessandra da Silva Dantas, Dr. Adam Wollman and Prof Nick Jakubovics). They will work as part of a professional community to provide a technical support service to staff and students by mainly following established working patterns.

Further information about the research interests of this team can be found: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/dental/people/profile/alessandrada-silva-dantas1.html

https://www.ncl.ac.uk/csbb/people/profile/nickjakubovics.html#background https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/people/profile/adamwollman.html

The successful applicant will hold: BTEC HNC/HND or equivalent in a relevant subject with technical expertise in microbiology and/or live-cell imaging, and/or microfabrication of microfluidics chips, and/or imaging analysis, that will enable the post holder to support the project.

This post will be physically located in the Dental School and will benefit from close collaborative working with Postdoctoral Scientists and Senior Academics.

You will be based at the School of Dental Sciences (SDS) within the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS). You will have a strong focus on interdisciplinarity and team science, establishing links between microbiology and biophysics, and collaboration with our industrial partners. Researchers at Dental Sciences have excellent opportunities to collaborate with members of our Translational and clinical Research Institute (NUTCRI). This research community provides a unique, diverse and supportive environment where exciting research can expand and develop. The Faculty provides excellent scientific facilities, offering state of the art technologies on site (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/business/facilities/).

Applications should consist of a full CV, and a covering letter and be submitted via our careers page.

For a discussion about this role, enquiries should be sent to Dr. Alessandra da Silva Dantas, alessandra.da-silva-dantas1@ncl.ac.uk or Prof Nick Jakubovics, nick.jakubovics@ncl.ac.uk.

This is a fixed term position for the duration of 12 months.

Please note that if you are successful to this role, you will require medical clearance before you can commence in the role.

Key Accountabilities

• Support primary research in single and multi-species biofilms (Candida spp. and Streptococci spp.) with support from Postdoctoral scientists and PIs in the group
• Help design microfluidics devices for the study of single- and multi-species biofilms
• Run microfluidics experiments with single and multi-species biofilms, perform live-imaging and basic analysis with support from Postdoctoral scientists and PIs in the group, and the bioimaging facility
• Complete a range of maintenance activities and repairs
• Liaise with suppliers and manufacturers to resolve problems and investigate replacement options
• Advise on equipment capabilities demonstrating how results can be achieved by developing local procedures, establish and maintain a safe/compliant working environment
• Assist with the completion and updating of a wide range of safety paperwork
• Oversee compliance tasks ensuring timely completion and maintenance of appropriate records
• Maintain broad and up to date health and safety knowledge providing support/advice to others
• Schedule, prioritize and monitor work and performance in line with demands and deadlines
• Hold delegated responsibility from the academic/technical lead for the planning, operation and supervision of a variety of laboratory spaces
• Work collaboratively with the other areas to ensure efficiency and elimination of duplicated effort
• Organize and facilitate progress and management meetings
• Be a key contributor to service development, delivery and planning
• Contribute and support change
• Oversee local record keeping, inventory and asset management
• Monitor resource usage and stores operations
• Source and negotiate with suppliers for a range of items including specialist parts/equipment
• Create, update and implement procedures to deliver an aligned, efficient and effective service
• Provide a broad range of skilled research support
• Prepare and manufacture a range of specimens/samples
• Design, develop and deliver inductions, demonstrations and training covering a broad range of activities (not limited to techniques and equipment)
• Assist managers with the identification of training and development needs
• Develop a broad knowledge and skills base, sharing with others
• Mentor and train junior staff and students
• Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Thorough working knowledge of Health and Safety procedures, and experience of safe waste management within a workshop/laboratory environment
• Demonstratable work experience in microbiology or relevant subject area
• Excellent team working skills
• Demonstrates technical and problem solving capability
• Demonstrates good organising ability to meet deadlines with a positive and proactive approach to duties and attention to detail
• Ability to adapt to changes in teaching/research priorities

Desirable

• Contribute to design and specification of teaching/research activities
• Bioinformatic skills, including imaging analysis software
• Knowledge of software programmes for data analysis including Graph Pad Prism, adobe photoshop, illustrator and programmes for CAD design
• Experience with oral microbes (Candida spp. and Streptococci spp.) and/or genetic transformation of microorganisms

Attributes and Behaviour

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Good interpersonal skills to interface with staff
• Attention to detail to ensure accuracy and precision
• Work in a collaborative and flexible way
• To exhibit University and Faculty values and principles
• Promotes a culture of mutual respect

Qualifications

• BTEC HNC/HND or equivalent in relevant subject or equivalent experience

Desirable

• Professional registration with an accredited professional body (including HEA) or working towards this on appointment

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 28749