Research Laboratory Technician (Fixed Term)

An exciting opportunity is available for 2 Research Laboratory Technicians to join the group of Prof. Jake Harris at the Department of Plant Sciences. The laboratory is situated on the Downing Site in Cambridge and houses state-of-the-art facilities.

The project is part of a pioneering new effort to generate fully synthetic plant chromosomes, funded by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA, please see here for more details). The postholder will support and perform various routine and higher-level molecular biology techniques in the lab, including cloning (PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA purification, restriction reactions, ligation reactions, Gibson assembly, bacterial transformation and culture, plasmid purification, and Sanger sequencing), genotyping (collecting material, genomic DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis), genetic transformations, as well as general plant husbandry and maintenance. The primary model organism is the 'green yeast', Physcomitrium patens, which holds many unique advantages for synthetic biology approaches. Plant cell suspension and culture. There is also scope for development in computational aspects and organisational pipelines. The project is part of an integrated team effort involving academic and biotech laboratories across the UK and Australia.

Successful candidates are not expected to be familiar with all these techniques; however, experience working with Physcomitrium patens or other non-vascular plants is highly beneficial. Experience working with plant cell culture and suspension is also a major benefit. A willingness to learn and some prior laboratory experience is essential. The postholders will work closely alongside postdoctoral researchers and technicians on the project and within a wider laboratory team setting, so evidence of successful teamwork to achieve well-defined project goals is critically important. Successful candidates will have a degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject, strong organisational and time-management skills, a positive attitude, and good team spirit.

Each position contract is fixed term for 1.5 years.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click 'Apply' above.

Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.

Please quote reference PD45704 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

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