Research Technician

About us

The post will be based in the Institute for Immunity & Transplantation, part of the Division of Infection & Immunity, located in the new Pears Building at the Royal Free Hospital campus. By embedding high-quality basic research programmes within a clinical environment, the Institute provides an excellent interface between science and medicine. UCL consistently ranks amongst the top research universities in the world.

Dr McCoy's group has been based at the Division of Infection and Immunity since 2018 and aims to understand the fundamental regulation of the humoral immune response during chronic HIV infection and the development of antibodies against HIV, SARS-CoV-2, Monkeypox and other viruses.

About the role

The Research Technician will assist with laboratory organisation and documentation, facilitate clinical sample processing, purify antibodies/recombinant proteins, perform flow cytometry, ELISA and neutralisation assays, and help to generate and maintain cell lines. This work is an integral part of a project that aims to identify factors associated to the development of broadly neutralising antibodies against HIV. The successful candidate will work directly together with the PI within a dynamic group of scientists working on integrated aspects of the immune responses during viral infection.

See https://www.ucl.ac.uk/infection-immunity/people/dr-laura-mccoy  and  https://twitter.com/RealMcCoyLab for further information.

The position is available immediately and until 31/05/2024 in the first instance.

About you

The successful candidate will have a BSc or MSc/MRes degree in a subject related to Infection and/or Immunology with outstanding attention to detail and a methodical approach. The candidate will have a track record of excellent lab skills in human cellular and molecular biology techniques, specifically tissue culture, flow cytometry and clinical sample processing. Experience of laboratory management tasks such as ordering consumables and facilitating clinical sample management, working with infectious organisms and protein purification are desirable. The work will entail working in containment level 2 and 3 laboratories and will include safe handling of blood from people living with HIV.

Please apply by CV and a cover letter. Your cover letter should address all the person specification points and should clearly demonstrate how your skills and experience meet each of the criteria. It is important that the criteria are clearly numbered and that you provide a response to each one.

The selection process for the shortlisted candidates will include a short-written test and an interview.

What we offer

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

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.

Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality.

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