Isotope Laboratory Technician (ILT)

The Role and Department 

The Durham Geochemistry Centre in the Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University seeks an Isotope Laboratory Technician (ILT) to be a core member of the DGC team.

The DGC team spans three departments and two faculties at Durham and engage in collaborative isotope-focused research with external users including other academic institutes, charities and industry. The team has a strong team spirit, an inclusive practice, and values direct communication. The DGC is led by Kevin Burton (Professor Kevin Burton - Durham University) and the mass spectrometers and clean laboratories are managed by Geoff Nowell (Dr Geoffrey Nowell - Durham University).

The Isotope Laboratory Technician will work alongside the lab manager and academic staff members on a day-to-day basis, to:

• Maintain the clean laboratories and troubleshoot laboratory issues (e.g., de-ionised water supply, air handling, acid distillation) and mass spectrometry issues (e.g., cone changing, neb blocking, torches, software) in a time and cost-efficient manner;
• Provide clean laboratory and mass spectrometry training and supervision to established and new internal and external users;
• Train and supervise new users in the clean laboratory and mass spectrometry lab;
• Work with all users (PIs, staff, post-doctoral research fellows, undergraduate, masters, and graduate students) to develop and establish new laboratory and instrumentation procedures (e.g., reagent preparation, sample digestion and chemical purification, acid stills, development of isotope "spiking" techniques);
• Lead on routine radiogenic isotope analysis; (MC-ICP-MS, TIMS)
• Conduct their own research as time allows;
• Oversee clean laboratory chemistry orders and budgeting;
• Work with the lab manager on health and safety protocols;
• Provide support for trace element analysis, other duties permitting.

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