Senior Research Technician

The Department of Neuromuscular Diseases is a hub for clinical and research excellence across the spectrum of spinal cord and neuromuscular diseases. The Department hosts a number of important Research Centres, including the Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease (QSMND) Centre, which aims to be a leading international centre for MND, engaging with national and international partners and the UK’s leading centre for multidisciplinary training of basic and clinical scientists in MND.

The Centre has established, or developed in partnership with other Universities in the UK, two of the largest longitudinal collections of biological samples and clinical data in the UK and world-wide. These biobanks provide the backbone of the translational research undertaken in the Centre, including the identification and validation of disease biomarkers, and the definition of novel therapeutic targets using cell-based surrogates of MND pathology.

We are now recruiting a Senior Research Technician to establish and develop the collection, processing, storage, and analysis of biological samples within the existing longitudinal biobanking projects at UCL.

You will be key to the main aim to use biological substrates that can be collected during disease progression to monitor disease progression and treatment response, and elucidate the role of systemic inflammation, immunosenescence, and the Brain-Gut Axis in the progression of ALS pathology. You will be primarily focused on biorepository management for EXPERTS ALS and U2EM.

The post is available immediately and funded by a grant from the NIHR BRC for one year in the first instance.
If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online, or have any queries regarding the application process, please contact the Institute of Neurology HR Team (ion.hradmin at ucl.ac.uk).

Informal enquiries regarding the role can be addressed to Professor Andrea Malaspina (a.malaspina at ucl.ac.uk).

Application deadline: 23:59, Tuesday, 10 December 2024.

For a full job description and to apply for this role please visit UCL’s online recruitment portal (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/search-ucl-jobs) and search using vacancy reference B02-08035.

You’ll have an MSc degree in Neuroscience, Biology, or a related discipline and experience in the extraction, storage, and evaluation of viability of mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs) for in-vitro and flow-cytometry. Experience with the use of biosample management platforms and software and in the optimisation and writing of protocols for blood sample processing, storage and biobanking is essential. An in-depth and working knowledge of biobanking licensing rules and regulation and a working knowledge of GCP and GLP in clinical laboratory setting are also required.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong problem-solving abilities, and the ability to act on your own initiative are also required for this role.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits; visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. 12% of Institute staff are actively working on EDI initiatives; visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/equality-diversity-inclusion for more information about what we’re doing. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce; these include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled people, LGBTQI+ and gender diverse people in all roles, and women in Grade 9 and 10 roles.

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