Senior Research Technician

In this role, you will manage, the day-to-day running of the muscle biology research laboratory and its associated equipment and facilities, recruit patients according to the study protocol and contribute to the collection, processing, and management of biological samples from patient intervention studies across the Leicester Biomedical Research Centre. 

You will also contribute to tissue, molecular and cellular analysis under the direction of the lead research team across a variety of projects in the field of sarcopenia and muscle biology. 

The NIHR Leicester BRC is a partnership between the University of Leicester, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Loughborough University and the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group. It has been funded £26.1 million from December 2022 to November 2027 to carry out pioneering research into medical advancements into illnesses linked to respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease and the consequences of inactivity will continue to push boundaries of knowledge in clinical medicine. Three new speciality areas have joined the NIHR Leicester BRC for the first time: Personalised cancer prevention and treatment, Environment – looking at how the environment impacts on long-term health conditions - and Using data to better understand multiple long-term health conditions and factors specific to the health of ethnic minority populations. In addition, the respiratory speciality is joined by experts in infectious diseases.   

Our overall purpose is to translate scientific breakthroughs in these areas into diagnostic tests, preventions and life-saving treatments for our patients. We do this by creating a collaborative workspace that allows scientists and clinicians to share their findings and deliver research that is relevant to both patients and the professionals who treat them.  At Leicester BRC, we are committed to working with all experts, and the patient is the most important expert of all. A large group of local people interested in our work help us plan and deliver our research with insight into the experience of living with illness.  

You will hold either a relevant Honours degree or have relevant experience in the field of muscle physiology or biology. You will have practical experience and knowledge of applying research skills and techniques to deliver outputs on time, able to demonstrate research potential and an ability to contribute to delivering high quality research. A higher qualification would be beneficial, as would experience in molecular biology/cell biology techniques, in the handling and processing of biological tissues and samples and of the consent process.