Laboratory Technician

About the Role

Applications are invited for a Research Technician in Prof Lars Chittka’s laboratory in the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences. Our group is an internationally leading team working on insect cognition and its welfare implication.

For more information about the research context see http://chittkalab.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/Lars.html

Main duties and responsibilities are: Maintain insect cultures; keeping lab populations healthy and well-fed; Provide technical support for experiments, perform experiments in insect sentience, behavioural biology and cognition; Keep the lab well stocked, orderly and clean; Assist with data analysis and preparation of figures for scientific publications; Support other staff with ordering of materials, stocktaking of reagents, and archiving samples, updating and maintaining documents relating to health and safety in the lab; Liaise with lab members to find out which particular experiments need support and allocate efforts  accordingly; To ensure that appropriate COSHH and risk assessment procedures are followed and documented for all laboratory and field work; To assist in the safe handling, storage and disposal of equipment, glassware, and chemical, solvent and biological waste within the laboratory; To work in a flexible and supportive manner covering for peaks in demand and ad hoc needs for technical support in the laboratory.

About You

The successful candidate should ideally have experience in insect rearing and colony maintenance. Experience in insect behavioural experiments, video analysis and data analyses is an advantage. You will have strong organisational skills and the ability to independently plan experiments.

About the School/Department/Institute/Project

The role sits within the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, one of the largest Schools within Queen Mary University of London. The school has a strong research output and demanding educational standards for its students, but all members benefit from a high level of academic and social integration. In addition, the school is committed to equality of opportunity and holds a Silver Athena SWAN Award.

About Queen Mary

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

Benefits

We offer competitive salaries, access to a generous pension scheme, 30 days’ leave per annum (pro-rata for part-time/fixed-term), a season ticket loan scheme and access to a comprehensive range of personal and professional development opportunities. In addition, we offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, and campus facilities.

Queen Mary’s commitment to our diverse and inclusive community is embedded in our appointments processes. Reasonable adjustments will be made at each stage of the recruitment process for any candidate with a disability. We are open to considering applications from candidates wishing to work flexibly.

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