Jobs and Vacancies
Post title: Research Technician (Closing date: 14/11/12)
Overview - Brief outline:
Applications are invited for a research technician to assist and work closely together with the manager of the Sheffield RNAi Screening Facility – a Wellcome Trust funded national centre to undertake genome wide cell based RNAi screens.
The successful applicant will be closely involved in the day to day running of the facility and will undertake cellular screens and management of the RNAi libraries. In addition, they will play a central role in the maintenance of tissue culture cells. They will also assist external users of the facility with their screens. This will be an interesting and varied job that requires careful planning and absolute technical consistency. Full training will be given to the successful candidate. The successful applicant should hold a BSc or equivalent in a relevant subject area and will be highly organised. Previous experience in a high throughput assay environment would be advantageous.
This position is initially available from November 26th 2012 on a month-to-month rolling contract. However, there will be a longer-term position available in 2013, that they will be invited to apply for should they show competence in this role.
Interviews will take place on either Friday 16th or Monday 19th November and interviewees will be notified by phone.
Job Description
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Be responsible for the growth and maintenance of cell lines
- Assist with the generation of RNAi library copies
- Assist screeners with their experiments
- Carry out administrative roles (checking stocks, ordering, etc)
- Participate in laboratory maintenance, including organisation of reagents and equipment cleaning.
- Any other relevant duties, commensurate with the grade of the post, required by your manager or Head of Department
| Criteria | Essential | Desirable | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Qualifications and experience | ||
| HND/HNC or equivalent in a relevant subject area (or equivalent experience). | x | ||
| BSc or equivalent in a relevant biological discipline. | x | ||
| Experience of research in a relevant biological discipline. | x | ||
| Experience with Molecular Biology and/or tissue culture techniques | x | ||
| IT skills, including the ability to use specialised packages, in addition to Microsoft Office, the Internet, etc. | x | ||
| 2. | Communication skills | ||
| Effective communication skills, both written and verbal. | x | ||
| 3. | Personal effectiveness | ||
| Awareness of laboratory safety and general laboratory competence. | x | ||
| High levels of organisation and meticulous attention to detail. | x | ||
| Experience of adapting own skills to new circumstances. | x | ||
| Ability to assess and organise resources, and plan and progress work activities. | x | ||
| Ability to plan and conduct experiments. | x |
Person Specification
Applicants should provide evidence in their applications that they meet the following criteria. We will use a range of selection methods to measure candidates’ abilities in these areas including reviewing your on-line application, seeking references, inviting shortlisted candidates to interview and other forms of assessment action relevant to the post.
Further Information
This post is fixed-term with a start date of 26/11/12 for at least 2 months with the potential for a longer contract of at least a year.
This post is full-time
This role has been identified as a full-time post, but we are committed to exploring flexible working opportunities with our staff, which benefit both the individual and the University. Therefore, we would consider flexible delivery of the role subject to meeting the business needs of the post. See www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/wellbeing/info/wlb.html for more information.
Terms and conditions of employment: Will be those for Grade 5 staff.
Salary: From: £19972 - per annum
Applications should be submitted via e-mail: rnai@sheffield.ac.uk
Terms and conditions of employment: Will be those for Grade 5 staff.
Salary: From: £19972 - per annum
More details on salaries, terms and conditions and our wide range of benefits for staff are available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/salaries.html
Closing date: 14/11/12
Health assessment: Please note that due to the duties of this post, the appointee will be required to complete a satisfactory health assessment from the University Staff Occupational Health Service.
Informal enquiries: For informal enquiries, contact
- Dr. Martin Zeidler; m.zeiler@sheffield.ac.uk; Tel: 0114 222 6093 or
- Dr. Stephen Brown Stephen.brown@sheffield.ac.uk Tel: 0114 222 3690
Selection – Next Steps
Following the closing date, you will be informed by email or phone whether or not you have been shortlisted to be invited to participate in the next stage of the selection process. Please note that due to the large number of applications that we receive, it may take a few days following the closing date before the recruiting department will be able to contact you.
The University of Sheffield is committed to achieving excellence through inclusion
- The University of Sheffield is proud to be a Two Ticks employer www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/equality/support/twoticks/
- The University has achieved the Athena SWAN award for Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine.
About the department
The Department of Biomedical Science is an active and expanding department with an excellent record in both teaching and research. At any one time we have approximately 500 undergraduate and over 80 resident or visiting postgraduate students. Our staff includes about 40 academics, 30 postdoctoral research workers, and 60 support staff (administrative, technical and secretarial). Our total research grant income exceeds £15 million.
We undertake cutting edge research into the mechanisms that co-ordinate the organisation of molecules into cells, cells into tissues and tissues into whole animals, with special reference to the eventual application of the knowledge gained to human biology and medicine. We are located on a single site at the heart of the university campus, very close to the Students’ Union facilities and main library. Following a £40 million building and refurbishment programme, our research and teaching facilities are among the best in the country. State-of-the-art laboratories, lecture theatres, computer suites and teaching equipment, provide an outstanding learning and working environment for our students and staff. The city centre is just a 15 minute walk from the University. We have an outstanding reputation for the quality and breadth of expertise in biological teaching and were awarded 24/24 in the latest Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA) carried out by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
The department aims to teach students from its research base in order to disseminate knowledge of modern biology, to instruct future clinical practitioners in the biological basis of medicine and to train future researchers. In the Research Assessment Exercise for 2008 we were ranked in third place in the UK for research in Biological Sciences (Source: Times Higher Education). The department is also keen to foster young independent researchers and is happy to consider prospective Career Development Award applications.
Our main areas of research, in aspects of cell and developmental biology and molecular physiology, attract academic staff of international scientific standing and we are proud to include three centres of research excellence: The MRC Centre for Developmental and Biomedical Genetics (CDBG); The Centre for Stem Cell Biology (CSCB; and The Centre for Membrane Interactions and Dynamics (CMIAD).