Research Technician

Salary: £25,742 to £26,444 with progression to £27,979 per annum, pro rata

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: 26 May 2024

The Role

We require an experienced and motivated research technician to support a BBSRC funded project of Dr. R. Daniel and Dr. L. Wu.  The laboratory is a multidisciplinary research group studying Bacterial Molecular & Cell Biology specifically the mechanisms of bacterial growth and division.  The post will work as part of a professional technical community and report to the technical manager. The post will provide technical support for this research project, and also support the upkeep of the general laboratory area and activity. In addition, the role will have responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of bacterial strain libraries of the group.

This post is offered as a 50% FTE fixed term post until 30th November 2026.

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

For informal enquiries contact: Dr Richard Daniel, richard.daniel@newcastle.ac.uk or Dr Ling Wu, l.j.wu@newcastle.ac.uk.

Key Accountabilities

• To be responsible for day-to-day management and support of experimental work involving microbiological, biochemical and molecular approaches, and storage of experimental data in accurate, secure, detailed and up-to-date records of all carried out work under the guidance of senior research staff
• To be responsible for the organization and maintenance of the bacterial strain collection
• To facilitate general management and running of the laboratory including oversight of routine laboratory maintenance, equipment upkeep, preparation of stock solutions, and ordering and re-stocking of laboratory materials
• Hold delegated responsibility from the academic/technical lead for the planning, operation and supervision of a variety of laboratory spaces.
• Schedule, prioritize and monitor work and performance in line with demands and deadlines
• Attend research seminars and other departmental meetings as required. Contribute to the presentation of results to the group and to the research community in general
• Maintain broad and up to date health and safety knowledge providing support/advice to others 
• Contribute to the preparation of reports and scientific publications, under the direction of project supervisors project supervisors
• Comply with University policies, including financial regulations, equal opportunities policy, health and safety policy, promoting race equality policy, information systems security policy, data security and intellectual property rights
• 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
• Demonstrable work experience in a relevant technical laboratory role: experience in PCR, cloning and DNA extraction from bacteria would be desirable
• 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

Desirable

• Contribute to design and specification of research activities 
• Ability to adapt to changes in research priorities

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
   

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 silver 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: 27060