Research Technician II

UHN Research; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 43,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

UHN is seeking a dedicated Research Technician to join the Diamandis lab at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, to develop an intra-cranial mouse model of glioblastoma using patient-derived glioma stem cells. You will troubleshoot stereotaxic setups, determine injection sites, and establish reproducible tumor growth in living mice on-site.

Requirements include a Bachelor’s in Molecular/Cancer/Cell Biology and 3+ years of wet-lab experience with mouse research, plus strong documentation

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, or a related field.
• 3+ years of wet-lab experience with at least 2 years of mouse research.
• Ability to follow, optimise, and troubleshoot complex experimental protocols.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills and fluency in English.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary research environment.

Responsibilities

• Culture/maintain glioma stem cells and assist with wet-lab experiments.
• Troubleshoot stereotaxic setup necessary to immobilise anesthetised mice.
• Identify ideal location to inject glioma stem cells into brains of immobilised mice.
• Determine appropriate number of tumour cells and duration for glioblastoma establishment in mice.
• Harvest brain tissue and perform immunofluorescence and imaging to assess tumour infiltration.
• Assist other lab members with in vivo glioblastoma mouse model projects.

Skills

Mouse handling

Stereotaxic surgery

Cell culture

Documentation

English fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology or related field

Tools

Stereotaxic setup

Immunofluorescence

Imaging

Job description

• Compensation: CAD 31.02 - CAD 38.78 - hourly

Company Description

UHN is Canada’s #1 hospital and the world’s #1 publicly funded hospital. With 10 sites and more than 44,000 TeamUHN members, UHN consists of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, The Michener Institute of Education and West Park Healthcare Centre. As Canada's top research hospital, the scope of biomedical research and complexity of cases at UHN have made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. UHN has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in neurosciences, cardiology, transplantation, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. UHN is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.

UHN’s vision is to build A Healthier World and it’s only because of the talented and dedicated people who work here that we are continually bringing that vision closer to reality.

Union: Non-Union
Number of vacancies: 1
New or Replacement Position: New
Site: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Department: Research
Reports to: Senior Scientist
Salary Range:$31.02 - $38.78 per hour
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Shifts: Day
Status: Temporary Full-time (1 year contract)
Closing Date: September 30, 2026

Position Summary

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is seeking a dedicated and professional Research Technician to join a multi‑disciplinary team researching glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer. The Diamandis lab is seeking to establish an intra‑cranial mouse model of glioblastoma involving the injection of patient‑derived glioma stem cells into the brains of living mice. The successful candidate will play a key role in developing this mouse model. Their primary responsibilities will include troubleshooting the stereotaxic set‑up necessary to immobilise anesthetised mice, identifying the ideal location for tumour cell injection and determining the appropriate number of tumour cells and length of time for a glioblastoma tumour to reproducibly establish within the mice. Given these responsibilities, the successful candidate must be comfortable handling and performing survival surgeries on mice, and ideally will have 2+ years of experience with rodent surgery. This position is fully on‑site (no remote component).

Duties

• Culture/maintain glioma stem cells and assist with wet lab experiments.


• Troubleshoot stereotaxic set‑up necessary to immobilise anesthetised mice.


• Identify ideal location to inject glioma stem cells into brains of immobilised mice.


• Determine appropriate number of tumour cells and length of time for a glioblastoma tumour to reproducibly establish within the mice.


• Harvest brain tissue from mice and perform immunofluorescence and imaging to assess extent of tumour brain infiltration.

Assist other lab members with projects involving in vivo glioblastoma mouse model.

Qualifications

• At minimum, Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, or a related field required.


• Minimum of 3 years of relevant wet‑lab experience – with at least 2 years of experience with mouse research


• Ability to follow, optimise, and troubleshoot complex experimental protocols.


• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.


• Ability to maintain clear/accurate experimental records.


• Excellent communication skills and fluency in English.


• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary research environment.

Additional Information

Why join UHN?
In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programmes and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

• Competitive offer packages


• Government organisation and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https://hoopp.com/ )


• Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service


• A flexible work environment


• Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organisation


• Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on‑site gyms, etc.)

Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period, have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHN's attendance management programme, to be eligible for consideration.

All applications must be submitted before the posting close date.

UHN uses email to communicate with selected candidates. Please ensure you check your email regularly.

Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any information provided by a candidate be misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, UHN reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of their application.

UHN is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

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