Research Assistant in Lymphoid Tissue Metabolism

University of Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contributory pension

38 days annual leave

Childcare services

Family leave schemes

Cycle loan

Travel loans

Club memberships

Job summary

University of Oxford seeks a Research Assistant to process clinical samples, adapt tissue culture protocols, and advance imaging-based single-cell analyses. You will contribute to project planning and attend external meetings with the research team, while overseeing lab admin and stock control.

Applicants should have a biology/medical sciences degree, lab experience, and ability to manage time and records. Experience with human tissues or blood and imaging/cytometry datasets is desirable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in biological/medical sciences.
• Experience in a laboratory environment.
• Experience handling tissues and/or blood in sterile conditions.
• Experience with standard assays including flow cytometry.
• Ability to manage own lab work and administrative tasks.
• Ability to troubleshoot experiments and solve problems using initiative.
• Desirable: experience with human tissues or blood and analysing imaging/cytometry data.

Responsibilities

• Process clinical samples, including out-of-hours arrivals.
• Adapt existing protocols for culture of human tissues.
• Select, follow and adapt experimental protocols (e.g., multiplex IF imaging, single-cell biology).
• Contribute to wider project planning and new research ideas.
• Represent the group at external meetings/seminars.
• Manage laboratory administration and stock control of consumables.
• Use specialist equipment for imaging, qPCR and flow cytometry.

Skills

Laboratory management

Time management

Troubleshooting

Initiative

Presentation

Administrative tasks

Data interpretation

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in biological/medical sciences

Tools

Imaging

qPCR

Flow cytometry

Job description

The post holder will be responsible for processing clinical samples that may arrive out of hours and adapting existing protocols for the culture of human tissues. The post holder will also select, follow, and adapt experimental protocols such as multiplex immunofluorescent imaging and single cell biology while contributing to wider project planning, including ideas for new research projects. The post holder will be expected to represent the research group at external meetings/seminars, either with other members of the group or alone and to be responsible for the general laboratory management and administration, including stock control of laboratory consumables. The post holder will also use specialist scientific equipment in a laboratory environment for protocols such as imaging, qPCR, and flow cytometry.
You must hold a Bachelor's Degree (or Master's) in biological or medicinal sciences and demonstrate experience of working in a laboratory environment. You will have knowledge and experience of handling and processing tissues and/or blood in a sterile environment as well as experience and knowledge of standard laboratory assays including flow cytometry. Additionally, you will demonstrate an ability to manage own lab work and administrative activities as well as projects including the ability to manage both time and records effectively. You will demonstrate the ability to troubleshoot problems with experiments and arrive at an appropriate solution and use your own initiative to solve problems, generate ideas and innovate. Relevant experience in working with human tissues or blood samples as well as experience analysing imaging/cytometry datasets is desirable.
Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7FY
Grade 6: Salary in the range of £35,681-£39,424 per annum. This is inclusive of a pensionable Oxford University Weighting of £1,730 per year. This is a full time, fixed term position until 31st March 2028. The University of Oxford is a stimulating work environment, which enjoys an international reputation as a world-class centre of excellence. Our research plays a key role in tackling many global challenges, from reducing our carbon emissions to developing vaccines during a pandemic. The Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) is part of the Medical Sciences Division and is the largest European academic department in its field, running a globally competitive programme of research and teaching. Kennedy: The Kennedy Institute is a biomedical research centre uniquely bringing together discovery science and early-stage clinical research, to develop transformative new therapies for chronic inflammatory and musculoskeletal conditions. The Kennedy Institute is a biomedical research centre uniquely bringing together discovery science and early-stage clinical research, to develop transformative new therapies for chronic inflammatory and musculoskeletal conditions. We are seeking a Research Assistant to join the Kennedy Translational Innovation Group on a BioHub (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) to develop a new methodology to image cellular metabolism in human lymph nodes in collaboration with Professor Dame Molly Steven's group in the Kavli Institute, Oxford. In this innovative project you will report to the Principal Investigator Professor Mark Coles. The post holder will also have close interactions with researchers in the Coles, Buckley, Dendrou research group in the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and the Steven's group in the Kavli Institute. What We Offer As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees' wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:

• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days annual leave
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Cycle loan scheme
• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans
• Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs