Research Technician

The post

The Faculty wishes to recruit a talented individual to support our research team lead by Associate Prof. Matt Winter and Prof. Charles Tyler based in Biosciences. The role will provide direct support to an exciting research project with a major industry partner using the zebrafish for drug target validation and drug safety assessment. The post holder will work closely with the team to support and deliver cutting edge techniques including the design and application of CRISPR reagents, delivery of established functional phenotyping assessment, confocal and light sheet microscopy, molecular analyses, image and data analysis, and data reporting, as required. In addition, they will be responsible for contributing to zebrafish brood stock management and basic laboratory technical support, such as overseeing and ordering lab stock reagents and consumables. The post will, therefore, provide the opportunity to develop skills in a wide range of state of the art methods that are applicable to many areas of biological and medical research. The successful applicant will also be part of a large vibrant research team in which the researchers and technical support team study a very wide range of topics in biological and environmental science.

The post holder will be based at the University of Exeter working as part of a large team researching into a great variety of projects in environmental and medical biology. The techniques employed in the research team are also wide ranging, specialising in whole organism physiology, and including molecular and imaging methods and studies on behaviour. As such there is a very rich learning environment and the post will offer great opportunities for gaining skill training in the very latest  methods and in-life studies focused in environmental and medical research

Specifically, the post will include the following duties: 

• Executing laboratory based in-life studies for drug target validation and drug safety assessment.
• Undertaking various bioassays as part of functional phenotyping assessments that include application of various imaging methods (e.g. confocal and light sheet microscopy) and gene expression studies.
• Be responsible for zebrafish brood stock management
• Provide basic laboratory technical support, including overseeing and ordering lab stock reagents and consumables.
• Support in experimental design and data analysis and report andresearch paper writing;
• Presentation of research findings to various audiences including at partner meetings as appropriate;
• Communicate effectively with research project supervisory team and partners;
• Support the Exeter project team more widely as required.

About you

The successful applicant will be proficient in laboratory work and willing to learn, able to present information on research progress and outcomes, communicate complex information, orally, in writing and electronically and prepare proposals and applications to stakeholders.

Applicants will be educated to first degree level or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study or equivalent experience and be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. Ideally, applicants will hold a Fish PIL (Modules 1-3), and have experience in some of the techniques of  micro injection, CRISPR gene editing, in vivo zebrafish research, assessment of whole animal physiology, fluorescent microscopy, and the accurate and safe handling and preparation of test substances and reagent solutions.

Further information

For further information please contact Dr Mathew Winter email M.R.Winter@ex.ac.uk, or Professor Charles Tyler, e-mail c.r.tyler@ex.ac.uk.

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