Research Technician

Project: Human liver biology and in vitro models

Reporting to: Dr Luca Urbani, Principal Investigator & Senior Lecturer; Dr Sara Campinoti, Senior Postdoc & Wellcome Trust Fellow

Duration: Estimated fixed term contract length 16 - 20 months, depending on the successful candidate's availability to start

Hours: Full time, 36.25 hours per week

Starting date: July 2026 

The Role 

The Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies are seeking an enthusiastic, motivated, flexible and committed Research Technician to join the Liver Regeneration & Tissue Engineering group for a collaborative study focused on the human liver microenvironment and development of in vitro liver models.

The post holder will work under the supervision of Dr Luca Urbani (PI) and Dr Sara Campinoti (senior post-doc) in laboratory-based studies investigating the microenvironment of the human foetal and adult liver, how it changes during development and in disease, in particular the interaction between haematopoietic stem cells and foetal liver parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells and extracellular matrix proteins, for the identification of important signalling molecules for hematopoietic stem cell expansion in vitro. The project also involved developing and validating in vitro models of the liver using stem cells, organoids and hydrogels.

This group has a strong track record in matrix biology studies and tissue engineering and will work closely in collaboration with other research groups at Cambridge University and University College London to achieve the aim of the project. Furthermore, the group collaborates with a number of national and international groups working on tissue engineering, liver cancer and liver disease, and provides a dynamic, supportive and inclusive work environment.

We are now looking for a motivated and enthusiastic scientist to help deliver this exciting research programme. The post offers an excellent career development opportunity for a laboratory scientist. You will ideally be a team player with a keen eye for detail and have extensive experience with aseptic tissue culture, histology, imaging, molecular biology and lab management.

The post holder will provide technical support by helping with lab organisation, conducting research experiments, collecting and analysing data, write reports. The post holder will be a point of contact for staff and students regarding experimental procedures and techniques for the research area.

Importantly, the post holder will be in charge of day-to-day management of the group’s lab space, ordering of consumables, lab safety, student training, and sample records, under the supervision of the Group Leader Dr Urbani.

The Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies is a unique clinical academic partnership between the Foundation for Liver Research, King’s College London and King’s College Hospital that encompasses a multi-disciplinary team focussed on liver research and the improvement of outcomes for patients with liver diseases. This role will be employed by the Foundation for Liver Research, registered charity no. 1134579.

Project Background

This project seeks to dissect the cellular and extracellular mechanisms of the human foetal liver niche and recreate them in vitro to improve hematopoietic stem cell culture systems. Key questions are: (1) Which stromal cell populations and extracellular matrix (ECM) components regulate stem cell expansion in the foetal liver across developmental stages? (2) How do stromal-ECM interactions influence cytokine signalling and stem cell behaviour? (3) Can a bioengineered foetal liver niche support stem cell expansion in vitro?

To answer these questions, we are performing cellular and ECM characterisation using foetal liver samples to isolate and culture hepatoblast organoids, fibroblasts and endothelial cells, profiling their cytokine expression and ECM contributions across developmental stages using qPCR, secretome analysis and imaging (H&E, immunofluorescence, brightfield images).

We are also performing ECM profiling using proteomics to identify stage-specific ECM proteins, complemented by single-nuclei RNA-sequencing of primary foetal liver tissue to resolve transcriptional heterogeneity.

In parallel, current work is focused on bioengineering the liver niche by testing different culture conditions to combine scaffolds or hydrogels, foetal liver cells (organoids, fibroblasts and endothelial cells) supplemented with cytokines and ECM proteins identified by secretome analysis and proteomics. The post holder will be involved in the optimisation of this model addressing cell ratios, scaffold composition and medium formulation.

Human hematopoietic stem cells will be introduced into the bioengineered niche, cultured in perfused bioreactors to mimic physiological conditions. Stem cell viability, expansion and multilineage potential will be tested by flow cytometry, colony assays and, if feasible, xenotransplantation.

Similarly, the group is also interested in the ECM-cell interactions in the adult liver, in particular the role of the ECM in chronic liver disease and cancer.  There is an urgent need for reliable and reproducible methods to further understand the pathogenesis of liver diseases as current in vitro cellular and in vivo animal models utilized do not completely mimic the mechanisms of human liver injury and disease progression. Current methodologies focus on the individual cellular components and do not take into consideration the structural complexity, function and relationship of these cells with the ECM. Bioengineered liver and cancer constructs represent a robust and biologically relevant model where disease mechanisms and identification of new biomarkers can be investigated, paving the way to personalized in vitro models.

The bioengineered liver and cancer models developed by the group combine i) extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived scaffolds, obtained through decellularization of human liver or cancer tissue samples; ii) expansion and seeding of human primary hepatic cells (hepatocytes, hepatic organoids, endothelial cells, Kupffer cells and stellate cells) or cancer cells and cancer associated fibroblasts, iii) customised bioreactors for the support of cell survival in 3D, and iv) tissue resident and circulating immune cells.

The 3D innovative seeding and culture techniques will examine compatibility of the components to obtain an immunocompetent preparation with cell heterogeneity reflecting specificity of a native tissue. In these models, we will explore mechanisms of pathophysiology, in particular the interactions between the ECM and immune cells in liver fibrosis and cancer.

Post Specification

The post holder will be responsible for the following:

• Liaise, assist and interact with group members to perform and optimise isolation of different primary cell populations from human liver samples. This will include setting up experiments and preparing reagents.
• Culture, characterize and cryopreserve primary cell lines from patients with or without liver disease, and cancer cell lines using aseptic techniques
• Organise and receive the collection and processing of human foetal and adult liver tissue and maintain sample inventories
• Perform extracellular matrix enrichment of human tissue samples (decellularisation) and their characterization
• Perform co-cultures of primary human cells and extracellular matrix-enriched samples or hydrogels
• Independently perform cell cultures under aseptic conditions, multicolour flow cytometry, ELISA-based assays, molecular biology techniques, histology and immunofluorescence and microscopy, according to standard operating protocols
• Keep detailed, accurate and comprehensible records of experimental plans and work, and to perform data analysis and statistical assessments
• Maintain and operate equipment and instruments used by the research group.
• Establish, organise and maintain accurate records of clinical samples, laboratory reagents, and equipment.
• Purchase laboratory reagents, equipment and maintain supply chains.
• Provide training, support and advice to new undergraduates and PhD students on safety operations, basic lab practice and lab techniques.
• Communicate developments and results to managers/supervisors and colleagues on a regular basis
• Organise shipments and coordinate deliveries to collaborators via external couriers
• Contribute to overall activities of the Institute including attendance at the weekly Seminars
• To contribute to the maintenance of essential collaborations for the project and attendance to external meetings with collaborators’ groups
• To undertake specific safety responsibilities relevant to the Liver Regeneration and Tissue Engineering group and the Institute as a whole, including the preparation and maintenance of risk assessments and operating procedures

Please note that job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, and you may be asked to undertake additional tasks such as ad-hoc assistance with other experiments within the group, preparation of research documentation, health and safety work, laboratory and equipment maintenance, etc 

The main laboratory techniques involved are: handling of human foetal and adult liver samples, isolation and culture of different cell types from human foetal and adult liver tissue, culture of human haematopoietic stem cells and CFU assays, preparation of matrix-enriched tissue samples (decellularisation) and their characterisation, 3D culture of foetal liver engineered constructs, flow cytometry and ELISA assays, gene expression analysis, Luminex Multiplex assay, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence and microscopy. 

The following skills and attributes are required for the Research Technician position: 

Essential skills:

• BSCs or MSc at least or equivalent in biological science or related disciplines
• Laboratory-based experience in aseptic techniques, cell culture, flow cytometry, histology, microscopy, and molecular biology techniques
• Experience with handling human samples
• Excellent attention to detail, critical thinking, and ability to work independently
• Willingness to quickly acquire new skills, learn new laboratory assays and acquire new research responsibilities
• Excellent interpersonal skills that show the ability to work well with members of the team, staff, students, and management
• Excellent communication and organisational skills
• Commitment to and experience with Health and Safety
• Working-time flexibility and willingness to work evenings and weekends if required by experiments
• Enthusiasm to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team 

Desirable skills:

• Experience with 2D or 3D co-cultures
• Experience working with human haematopoietic stem cells
• Experience deriving and culturing human organoids
• Experience with decellularisation
• Experience of working with next-generation tissue engineering technology
• Good publication record
• Experience in complex data and statistical analysis 

The post will be offered on a fixed-term contract, estimated length 16 - 20 months, depending on the successful candidate's availability to start (ideally July 2026). 

To apply: send a 1-page covering letter explaining your background and suitability for our team, together with a detailed CV describing your research experience to date and including names and contact details of two referees, one of whom is the current/most recent employer, to: 

Jenny Dines, HR Manager, Foundation for Liver Research, via the 'Apply' button above (e: j.dines@researchinliver.org.uk).

Please name documents you send as follows: 

<surname, first name, RT, {CV} or {covering letter}>            

Quote Job Ref: RS74 

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Luca Urbani, Principal Investigator: luca.urbani@kcl.ac.uk 

In the event that you are invited for interview, we will contact you by email confirming the arrangements.  

The Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies and the Foundation for Liver Research are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming working environment where everyone feels valued. The Foundation can only accept applications from UK/Irish nationals and EU nationals and individuals with existing permission to work in the UK.