Research Technician

Salary: £29,588.00 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: 29 July 2026

The Role 

The role requires a talented Research Technician to work on a Cancer Research UK funded project investigating the tumour immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The role will be based within the Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group and integrated within a wider multidisciplinary technical community across the Faculty of Medical Sciences, overseen by the technical manager. The project investigates how metabolic stress and hypoxia reprogramme cancer-associated fibroblasts to drive immune suppression and immunotherapy resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide.

This Cancer Research UK Career Establishment Award funded project will use advanced human and mouse pre-clinical models of HCC, alongside cutting-edge spatial and single-cell technologies, to define how CAFs shape the tumour microenvironment and to identify novel therapeutic strategies to improve immunotherapy responses in liver cancer.

The successful candidate will support a broad range of laboratory activities, including maintenance of mouse colonies, tissue processing, molecular and cellular biology techniques, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, and support for spatial profiling studies. The technician will also contribute to the organisation and smooth running of the laboratory, including reagent preparation, stock management, and ensuring compliance with laboratory and animal welfare regulations.

This post is offered as a 100% FTE fixed term position for 3 years from the start date. Applicants who wish to work less than full time may be considered.

For informal inquiries, contact: Dr Jack Leslie (Jack.Leslie@newcastle.ac.uk)

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/

Key Accountabilites 

• To be responsible for day-to-day management and support of experimental work involving human and mouse tissue/cells
• To gain familiarity in the relevant human and mouse models of HCC to conduct relevant experiments (initially under supervision, and then independently)
• To keep accurate, secure, detailed and up to date records of all work carried out under the guidance of research staff
• Liaise with suppliers and manufacturers to resolve problems and investigate replacement options
• 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
• Attend research seminars and other departmental meetings as required
• Contribute to the presentation of results to the academic leads and to the group more widely
• 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
• Contribute and support change
• Monitor resource usage and stores operations
• Create, update and implement procedures to deliver an aligned, efficient and effective service
• Provide a broad range of skilled research/teaching support
• Prepare and manufacture a range of specimens/samples with limited direction
• 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
• Out of hours work if required
• 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 eg: experience of PCR, ELISAs, sterile cell culture, histology, immunohistochemistry
• 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 
• Flow cytometry experience 

Attributes and Behaviour

• Passionate about cancer research and/or liver diseases
• Eagerness to develop new skills
• 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

Essential

• BTEC HNC/HND or equivalent in a biosciences subject or related field or equivalent experience in this area

Desirable

• A BSc in a related Biosciences field 
• 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: 29527