Queen Square Brain Bank Service Technician

Vacancy Reference Number

1857889

Closing Date

31 Jan 2020

Salary

£29,039 to £34,090 per annum, superannuable, Grade 6

Address

London

Duration

1 year in the first instance

The Queen Square Brain Bank is part of the Research Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, a world-leading group that brings together expertise across the clinical and basic science spectrum of the physiology and pathology of human movement and movement disorders. The core activity of the QSBB is brain banking, and it houses one of the largest collections of brains with neurodegenerative diseases in the UK. The QSBB jointly with the Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies has an active, interdisciplinary programme to study movement disorders, particularly Parkinson’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, corticobasal degeneration and frontotemporal dementias. 

Applications are invited for a Service Technician to be involved in the routine and research laboratory work related to different neurodegenerative diseases, and work with the QSBB manager and laboratory staff to assist with all aspects of the brain donation and processing laboratory work. Duties include cutting and staining of sections; immunohistochemistry techniques; flash-freezing and fixation of brains; archiving tissue, maintaining and updating records; assisting pathologists with ‘cut-up’ sessions; co-ordinating the development and maintenance of SOPs for laboratory techniques; and assisting with purchasing and ordering of consumables. An appropriate honorary contract will be sought from UCLH NHS Foundation Trust, for which a DBS check will be required. 

Applicants must have a BSc in a biomedical subject (Neuroscience related is desirable), and experience in histology and a range of immunohistochemical techniques; BMS State Registration is desirable. Good interpersonal skills, including the ability to maintain professional boundaries and deal with sensitive and confidential patient-related information in the appropriate manner, excellent oral and written communication, time management and organisational skills, IT proficiency at advanced user level, strong numeracy skills, resourcefulness, and meticulous accuracy are also required.

The post is available immediately and is funded from the Reta Lila Weston Fund for a year in the first instance. Salary on the UCL Grade 6 scale in the range £29,039 to £34,090 per annum, superannuable. 

For more information and to apply, please click here. 

Further Information

We particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within UCL at this level.

We will consider applications to work on a part-time, flexible and job share basis wherever possible.

Contact Details

If you have any queries regarding the vacancy or the application process, please contact Miss E Bertram, HR Manager, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology (email: IoN.HRAdmin@ucl.ac.uk).