Research Technician - Salinas’ lab

About us

Biosciences is one of the world’s foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences and one of the largest Divisions within UCL, undertaking a significant amount of research and teaching. The Division has a diverse portfolio addressing all areas of biology from protein interactions to cell function, organism development, genetics, population studies and the environment. Computational modelling approaches are frequently used alongside experimental research programmes and much of our research crosses traditional boundaries, including the relationship of biodiversity to the health of the planet. Activity is underpinned by high calibre science technology platforms and state of the art equipment. Educational activity includes a range of undergraduate programmes, an expanding number of Masters Programmes and a substantial number of postgraduate research students.

This is an exciting opportunity to join Professor Patricia Salinas’ lab at UCL. Her lab is interested in elucidation the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the formation, function, and integrity of synapses in the mammalian brain. Her previous work has led to the discovery that Wnt secreted proteins promote the formation and plasticity of synapses in several brain areas. Her lab also found that Wnt signalling is defective in the Alzheimer’s brain contributing to synapse degeneration and memory impairment.

About the role

The main purpose of this position is to characterise the cellular and synaptic changes in mouse mutants and during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease using animal models and human brain samples.

The research technician will be involved in the breeding of transgenic mice and related tasks to comply with regulations with the use of animals. The technician will also be directly involved in a research project that examines the impact of deficient Wnt signalling in synapse integrity using brain samples from mutant mice and from human brain samples. The technician will have the opportunity to learn and use molecular and cellular approaches (qPCR, confocal microscopy and image analyses, injections of viruses in the rodent brain).

The post will be available for 1 year in the first instance.

A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have any queries about the role, please contact Professor Patricia Salinas.

If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact Biosciences staffing at .

About you

You must have BSC or MSC degree in areas related to neuroscience or developmental neurobiology or have proven knowledge of molecular biology and cell biology.

You will feel comfortable in working with rodents and human samples.

You will have experience in performing in experiments and working in a lab environment.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

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+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

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