Research Technician in Molecular Neuropathology

Vacancy Reference Number
MED04098
Closing Date
6 Sep 2023
Salary
£34,273 – £37,180 plus benefits
Address
UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, White City Campus - On site only
Duration
This is a Full Time and fixed term role initially to 30 September 2024. This post is based at the White City Campus with additional labs at the Hammersmith Campus.

Dementia is the biggest health challenge of our century.

To date there is no way to prevent it or even slow its progression, and there is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause it.

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative driving forward research to fill this gap.

The UK DRI at Imperial brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds with fresh perspectives, drawing on the university’s unique strengths, resources and focus on science, engineering, medicine and business. The team recognises that the challenges of dementia demand new concepts, new approaches and a diverse range of new research tools and directions. Their holistic approach views the ageing brain in the context of the ageing body, not in isolation.

We have an exciting role for a Research Technician to provide technical support on a new Parkinson’s UK-funded research project. Combinatorial padlock-probe-amplified fluorescence in situ hybridization (coppaFISH) is a method that amplifies a selected panel of RNA transcripts in situ using barcoded padlock probes and reads out their barcodes combinatorially through multiple rounds of seven-colour fluorescence imaging. The beauty of this method for Parkinson’s disease research is that it will enable us to simultaneously identify the cell type identity of every cell within a tissue section at a low cost. This will enable disease neuropathology to be done at an unprecedently high throughput, which will in turn transform what we know about Parkinson’s disease.

You should be interested in the questions being pursued, as well as performing your work to the highest standards. Experience with running software pipelines and some computational experience will be advantageous. Having experience working with neuropathology and handling of post-mortem samples will be beneficial.  While close supervision will be provided when needed, the post holder also will be given graded opportunities for leading in areas of expertise and in supervising rotating project students for their technical training.

Duties and responsibilities

  • Building on laboratory experience and under the direction of the line manager, you will:
  • Undertake training and demonstrate an aptitude for an organised, methodical approach to your work.
  • Provide up-to-date technical expertise, advice and support for specialised methods appropriate to the research project.
  • Select and order situ hybridisation probes for coppaFISH and execute multi-step staining protocols using coppaFISH
  • Organise, collect and QC tissue samples
  • Run software analysis pipeline for coppaFISH
  • Basic methods for molecular biology (PCR, qPCR, Western blotting) of human tissue samples

Essential requirements

  • A good degree-level qualification in a relevant molecular science subject
  • Experience of tissue handling and histology, and basic biological methods (DNA/RNA extraction, PCR, qPCR, Western Blotting, microscopy)
  • Methodical approach to work, good time management and record keeping
  • Excellent communication skills and a willingness to learn

Further Information

For further information and to apply, please visit this site: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/description/MED04098/research-technician-molecular-neuropathology-uk-dri

Contact Details

Should you require any further details on the role please contact recruitmenthub@imperial.ac.uk