Senior Technician (Tissue Culture) – Internal Applicants Only

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This post is currently open to employees of Cardiff University only.  Please do not apply if you do not have a current contract of employment with the University.

Senior Technician (Tissue Culture)
Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences
School of Medicine
College of Biomedical and Life Sciences

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic laboratory technician who will provide technical support for the growth, maintenance, and differentiation of iPSC cultures. The successful candidate will provide practical day to day assistance with cultures and phenotypic assays whilst also ensuring reagents, media and other materials are prepared to appropriate standards.  Expertise in mammalian cell culture and/or iPSC culture is desirable. Dr Connor-Robson’s work centers on the use of cutting-edge induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models to study neurodegenerative diseases.

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is a joint £290 million investment from the Medical Research Council (MRC), Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK. Centred on the need for innovative, early-stage science to advance our understanding of how dementias develop and progress, the UK DRI’s research will bring new therapies to patients faster. The Institute’s mission is to find new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent dementias, whilst finding better ways to provide care for people with dementia.
For informal enquiries please contact Dr Natalie Connor-Robson on [email protected] .

This post is part-time (28 hours per week), available from 1st April 2024 and fixed term until 31st March 2025. This post is based at the Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays campus. 

Salary: £26,444 - £29,605 per annum pro rata (Grade 4).  Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale unless in exceptional circumstances however, for this position, the starting salary is capped at £27,181 due to limited funding.

The majority of roles at Cardiff University are currently operating under “blended working” arrangements, with staff having the flexibility to work partly from home and partly from the University campus depending on specific business requirements. Discussions around these arrangements can take place after the successful candidate has been appointed.

Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 40 days annual leave (incl bank holidays), local pension scheme, a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments within the pay scale, and more. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work, with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.

How we will support you in performing in this role

There are some things that you must have before you can start this role (see ‘Essential Criteria’), but other things can be developed either through training, or just by general on-the-job experience.  We want to support and develop you once you have started in the role using a combination of the following to get the best out of you:

1.    Regular one-to-ones with your manager
2.    An experienced and supportive team around you
3.    Supporting you through job-relevant training and development that you may require
4.    A mentoring scheme

Closing date: 28 February 2024.

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at:  Responsible research assessment - Research - Cardiff University .

Job Description

Job Purpose

To provide a comprehensive provision of technical support for the maintenance and differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models for studying Alzheimer’s Disease.

Duties and Responsibilities
Key Duties

• Support a programme of research by growing and maintaining iPSC cultures.
• Carry out and maintain iPSC differentiations to neuronal and microglial cultures.
• Maintain growth factor stocks for iPSC culture.
• Follow established guidelines train technical staff and students in technical procedures and in the use of equipment.
• Set up experimental systems and research apparatus, assisting students and staff in the use and construction of equipment and apparatus and with tests and experiments.
• Operate, maintain, service, adjust, test and repair complex equipment and apparatus.
• Take responsibility for stock levels including placing and receiving lab orders, security, maintenance and cleanliness of materials, apparatus and equipment within work area.
• Record and perform detailed analysis on data, including responsibility for maintaining databases.
• Undertake reviews of technical processes and procedures, in collaboration with line management, and advise on options for improvement.
• Support the department in the implementation of new procedures and systems.

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties.
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity.
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria 
Qualifications and Education

NVQ 3/A-Levels or equivalent qualification/work related experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Expertise with culture of mammalian cell lines and demonstrable competence with aseptic technique.

Substantial experience of working as a technician.

Knowledge of iPSCs and iPSC culture techniques.

Ability to set up and review standard technical processes and procedures and recommend improvements to the service provision as appropriate.

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working

Ability to communicate specialist and complex information effectively and professionally to a range of customers with varying levels of understanding.

Experience of supervising the work of others to focus team efforts and motivate individuals.

Ability to train technical staff in laboratory procedures and in the use of equipment and instruments.

Planning, Analysis and Problem Solving

Evidence of ability to solve problems using initiative and creativity; identify and propose practical solutions and to resolve problems where there are a range of potential options available.

Proven ability to work on own initiative, planning, organising and setting priorities for own work appropriately and to plan and manage small projects without close supervision.

Desirable Criteria

Degree in biological sciences.

Experience of growing and maintaining iPSC cultures and of iPSC neuronal and/or microglial differentiations.

Experience of immunocytochemistry techniques and fluorescent microscopy and molecular biology techniques e.g. Western blot, qPCR.

Experience of working in a Higher Education environment.

Fluency in Welsh, written and oral.

Additional Information

IMPORTANT: Evidencing Criteria
Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable criteria.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement. Please ensure when submitting this document / attaching it to you application profile you name it with the vacancy reference number, in this instance, 18056BR.

Job Category

Academic - Research, Medical & Dental, Technical