Research Technician

The University of Edinburgh; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading research institution as part of the Minchin Lab to engage in groundbreaking research on obesity-related genes. This fixed-term position offers an opportunity to utilize your laboratory skills and contribute to a collaborative project using zebrafish models. You will work within a world-renowned team focused on tackling key challenges in neuroscience.

Benefits

Comprehensive Staff Benefits

Generous holiday entitlement

Competitive pension schemes

Staff discounts

Family-friendly initiatives

Qualifications

• BSc honours or MSc degree in a relevant biological science-related subject.
• Wet lab experience, particularly with animal models and/or microscopy.
• Prior knowledge in neuroscience, cell biology, and genetics.

Responsibilities

• Join the Minchin Lab to functionally characterize new human obesity genes.
• Investigate how genes influence neuronal feeding networks and behavior.

Skills

Wet laboratory experience

Knowledge of neuroscience

Cell biology

Molecular biology

Genetics

Education

BSc honours or MSc degree in a relevant biological science-related subject

Job description

Job Description

Grade UE05: £29,179 - £33,482 per annum

CMVM / Institute of Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: 12 months

The Opportunity

The post-holder will join the Minchin Lab (https://minchinlab.org/) in the Institute of Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research to contribute to a new exciting collaborative project using the zebrafish model to functionally characterise a series of new human obesity genes and investigate how they influence neuronal feeding networks and behaviour.

The salary for this post is £29,179 pa - £33,482 per annum. An appointment above Step 1 on the grade scale may result in a shorter contract duration due to budget limitations.

Your Skills And Attributes For Success

• A BSc honours or MSc degree in a relevant biological science-related subject
• Wet laboratory experience, particularly with animal models and/or microscopy
• Prior knowledge of neuroscience, cell biology, molecular biology, genetics.

Application Information

Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:

• CV
• Cover letter

As a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages.

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. They will only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 24 July 2025. Unless stated otherwise, the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK, the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browser's local time zone.

About Us

As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030, we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research, and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.

About The Team

The Centre for Cardiovascular Science (Head of Centre, Professor Andrew Baker) is a world-leading centre of excellence that integrates discovery, translational, and clinical cardiovascular research to transform the diagnosis, treatment, and management of people with heart and circulatory diseases.

We work with local, national, and international partners and funders to develop solutions to our research challenges with regional and global impact.

Research in CVS is investigator-led. CVS has 50 principal investigators leading research across four themes: Metabolism Obesity & Diabetes (MOD), Hypertension & Renal (HART), Cardio-metabolic Imaging (CINEMA), and Coronary & Valvular Heart Disease.

The technologies employed within CVS span basic molecular and cell biology, model organisms (flies, fish, rodents), to clinical trials. The ethos in CVS is that investigators can use our network of collaboration and training to deliver discoveries and implement them in translational research.

CVS hosts two British Heart Foundation research centres: the Centre of Research Excellence (REA3) and the Centre for Vascular Regeneration (CVR).

To find out more, visit https://www.ed.ac.uk/cardiovascular-science/research/cvs-bhf-centres/bhf-centre-of-research-excellence