Research Assistant

UCL; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent child health research institute in Greater London is seeking a research assistant to support projects on therapies for children with blood and immune disorders. The position involves collaboration with lab researchers to enhance CAR T cell therapies through pre-clinical studies. Successful candidates will have expertise in human cell handling, genome editing, and flow cytometry. This is a full-time position, initially funded for 12 months with the chance for part-time PhD studies.

Qualifications

• Experience with molecular biology techniques, vector production, and sequencing.
• Effective communication and record-keeping skills.
• Teamwork aptitude and strong organizational abilities.

Responsibilities

• Support lab researchers in developing CAR T cell and stem cell therapies.
• Collaborate closely with university and hospital partners.
• Engage in pre-clinical studies for children with blood and immune disorders.

Skills

Human cell handling

Culture

Genome editing

Flow cytometry

Functional assays

Job description

About us

The mission of the UCL GOS Institute of Child Health is to maximise and advocate for the holistic health of all children, young people and the adults they will become, through world‑class research, education and public engagement. The UCL GOS ICH, together with its clinical partner Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, forms the largest concentration of children’s health research outside North America. The 2024‑29 GOS ICH strategy focuses on its five scientific programmes. GOS ICH’s activities include active engagement with children and families, to ensure that our work is relevant and appropriate to their needs. GOS ICH generates the funding for our research by setting out our proposals in high‑quality applications to public, charitable and industrial funding bodies and disseminates the results of our research by publication in the medical and scientific literature, to clinicians, policy makers and the wider public. The Institute offers world‑class education and training across a wide range of teaching and life learning programmes which address the needs of students and professional groups who are interested in and undertaking work relevant to child health. GOS ICH holds an Athena SWAN Charter Gold Award.

About the role

A research assistant is required for projects developing the next generation of therapies for children with blood and immune disorders, including CAR T cells for leukaemia. The postholder will support lab researchers’ developing strategies to improve CAR T cell and haematopoietic stem cell therapies in pre‑clinical studies. There will be close working with university and hospital partners. Team working, aptitude and excellent communication and record keeping skills will be essential. The postholder will have skills in handling T cells and/or haematopoietic stem cells and experience in molecular biology techniques, vector production and sequencing. The post is funded by GOSHCC and will be appointed for 12 months in the first instance with scope for extension and part‑time doctoral (PhD) studies.

About you

Expertise in human cell handling, culture, genome editing, flow cytometry and/or functional assays. Knowledge of design and testing of genome editing tools. Please see JD/PS for detailed information.

What we offer

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/. If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact Madhur Sharma on [e-mail].

Customer advert reference: B02‑09873