Research Assistant or Research Associate (In vivo biology)

The ALBORADA Drug Discovery Institute (ADDI), part of the University of Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR) (cambridge-ddi.alzheimersresearchuk.org), is seeking a Research Assistant or Research Associate with a background in animal research and tissue processing to join its established team. The ADDI is part of a network of world-class Drug Discovery Institutes, funded by Alzheimer's Research UK, forming the Alzheimer's Research UK Drug Discovery Alliance. The work of the ADDI at Cambridge is aimed at validating new drug targets and identifying potential new drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease as well as other types of neurodegeneration.

The successful candidate will join our team to carry out animal research in a drug discovery environment. They will receive training and support to perform hands-on experiments with live animals and tissue samples from animal studies, as well as to provide broader technical support to the in vivo biology team. This is an exciting opportunity to join a cutting-edge drug discovery team focusing on the diseases that cause dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions, and to develop a range of valuable laboratory techniques. You will be expected to have experience in working within a laboratory-based environment, particularly working with animals. You will work closely with other biologists in the team, thereby making an instrumental contribution towards the project pipeline of the ADDI.

A successful Research Assistant candidate will hold a BSc or equivalent in a Life Science or related subject. Priority will be given to applicants with prior roles in animal research, including animal facility technicians and other roles involving mouse husbandry work. Research Associate appointments require a PhD or imminent completion of a PhD with relevant experience.

Key responsibilities:

• This is a full-time laboratory-based role. You will be responsible for executing in vivo experiments, such as dosing, stereotactic intracranial injections, general health observations, and tissue dissections.
• Support other laboratory-based colleagues in the in vivo group forming part of a safe, collaborative and well-organized laboratory environment. 
• Help the team with ex vivo tissue processing, including tissue homogenization, protein and/or RNA extraction, tissue embedding, sectioning. Possibility to perform biochemical and histology experiments, such as Western blot and immunohistochemistry.  
• Ability to be flexible and enjoy switching between a variety of techniques, both in vivo and ex vivo. Desire to develop new skills is encouraged. 
• Contribute to data analysis using image analysis software (ImageJ, ImageLab) and statistics software (GraphPad Prism, InVivoStat).

Requirements

• A BSc, or equivalent experience, in cell biology or mammalian biology, mouse husbandry or animal welfare.
• Willingness to undertake hands-on in vivo work in a predominantly laboratory-based role.
• Experience with animal research, including hands-on work with mice. Experience with mouse surgical techniques desirable, but not required.
• Home Office PIL holder strongly preferred, but not required. Willingness to obtain PIL qualification necessary.
• Desire to learn new techniques and expand proficiency in animal work procedures.
• Integrity and ethical standards associated with animal experimentation.
• Prior experience with tissue processing for histology (tissue embedding, sectioning, staining) desired, but not required.
• Exposure to biochemical laboratory techniques an advantage.
• Attention to detail, excellent communication and organization skills and diligent record keeping.
• Neuroscience or neurodegeneration experience an advantage.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 30 April 2026 in the first instance.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please visit: www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/47465.

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