Research Assistant - Cellular Biology and Embryology

Location: MRC Harwell

Salary: £30,911 - £32,843 per annum, dependent on skills and experience

About Us
The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell (MLC) is located in an expanding science and innovation park in Oxfordshire and is an internationally renowned centre at the forefront of genetics research.  As the hub of the new National Mouse Genetics Network, the specialist facilities and capabilities of the MLC support a number of research groups across the UK to accelerate our understanding of human disease.

About the Role 

We are recruiting a Research Assistant in Cellular Biology and Embryology to join our expanding team of cell culture biologists and to provide technical support for dissection of mouse tissues and staged embryos for the purpose of gene and transgene expression analysis. Your activity will span a range of molecular biology and cell culture techniques.

This position is based within a long-established laboratory tasked with the generation and validation of embryonic stem (ES), organoid and immortalised cell lines, as well as embryo phenotyping. Cell culture is used to either generate genetically defined mouse lines or challenge human-relevant disease models at the Mary Lyon Centre. Mouse embryos and adult tissues are used for the functional analysis of genetic alterations. You will use existing skills or gain highly coveted expertise in cell culture and will be taught to implement a range of embryo phenotyping techniques in a fast-paced environment with a strong team focus.

We welcome candidates with a background in animal or human biology or related life sciences. Candidates with solely plant biology or microbiology background need not apply. 

About You 

You will need to have:

• BSc in Biological Sciences or in a related subject
• Basic knowledge of mouse anatomy
• Experience of working in a laboratory
• Some initial experience in basic techniques of molecular biology e.g. PCR, cloning, or qPCR
• Understanding of basic cell culture techniques (media preparation, sterile conditions) 

Key Responsibilities 

• The culture of mouse embryonic fibroblast cells, immortalised cell lines, ES cells and organoid lines 
• Use of various electroporation techniques to develop novel ES cell lines with known genetic modifications and the quality control of those lines
• Preparation of ES cells and organoid cell lines for micro-injection to generate mouse models.
• Extraction of mouse tissues, genotyping and gene expression studies
• Sample management and communication of results internally 

Other general duties required are to ensure the smooth running of a cellular biology laboratory, such as ordering reagents and other tasks that are shared with the rest of the team. 

Benefits:

Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits, from a defined-benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement, to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and a salary sacrifice cycle-to-work scheme.  In addition, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the work of a world-class medical research organisation.

How to Apply

If you are ready to take on this exciting role and be part of a team dedicated to ground-breaking research, we would love to hear from you. For full details and to apply, visit our careers site via the 'Apply' button above.

Please quote reference MLC 2643

The closing date for applications is 3^rd July 2025