Research Technician

UK Dementia Research Institute; London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading team at the UK Dementia Research Institute to explore innovative solutions for urinary tract infections using Lactobacillus. This role offers an exciting opportunity in a multidisciplinary environment, enhancing skills in microbiology and cell biology while addressing antibiotic resistance in patient care.

Benefits

41 Days holiday

On-Site nursery

On-site gym

Defined benefit pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• Postgraduate research experience in biomedical science or related field.
• Ability to organize time and communicate work effectively.
• Eagerness to learn new techniques and work collaboratively.

Responsibilities

• Explore the use of Lactobacillus in the treatment of urinary tract infections.
• Interface with healthcare colleagues to analyze patient-derived bacterial samples.
• Conduct experiments utilizing high-resolution imaging techniques.

Skills

Cell culture

Microbiology

Cell biology

High resolution microscopy

Education

BSc 2:1 minimum in relevant subject

Job description

University College London is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No. 1 in the UK for Research Power in Medicine as well as Health and Life Sciences (Research Excellence Framework 2021). The Division of Medicine is the largest department in UCL’s Faculty of Medical Sciences and is research intensive, with a near-equal mix of internationally renowned clinical and non-clinical scientists, many of whom enjoy close contacts with various world-leading London hospitals. The Division excels at interdisciplinary research, teaching and clinical practice with national and international impact. Within the Division, this project is based within the Urological Biology, Infection and Cancer group at the Rayne Building on the Bloomsbury campus in Central London. You will have the opportunity to work with leading academics in a friendly and dynamic team.

About the role

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) affect around 400 million people globally each year and often recur despite antibiotic treatment. The sheer number of antibiotics prescribed fuels the antibiotic resistance crisis, with these drugs no longer working against many infections. Therefore, better treatments are clearly needed. Most UTIs are caused E. coli, but this has largely been studied in mice which don’t accurately reflect the biology of human UTI. To bridge this gap, we developed a human urothelial microtissue model to better study UTI. In this project, the successful candidate will explore whether direct bladder application of Lactobacillus—a beneficial bacterium found in yoghurt and healthy bladders—can reduce E. coli’s harmful effects. We aim to test if Lactobacillus alone or alongside antibiotics can prevent UTIs, potentially lowering antibiotic use. If successful, this approach could lead to new Lactobacillus-based probiotic treatments, reducing the burden of UTIs and slowing antibiotic resistance. We will be working closely with co-investigator Dr Gabriele Pollara at UCL’s Division of Infection and Immunity and University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Trust. This role can help develop skills and experience in cell biology, high-resolution imaging and microbiology. By making use of patient-derived bacterial samples, this role will also interface with healthcare colleagues at UCLH.We reserve the right to close the advert early if we have sufficient amount of applications.This post is not eligible for sponsorship.

About you

• You will have a BSc 2:1 minimum and some postgraduate research experience in a relevant subject. This may include but is not limited to: biomedical science, microbiology, cell/molecular biology or tissue engineering• You will have an eagerness to learn new techniques, and the ability to work across disciplines and liaise with multiple collaborator groups• You will have passion, drive, curiosity and evidence of past excellent performance in academia• You will have the ability to organize your time well, take meticulous experimental notes and communicate about your work in both writing and verbally• Desirable would be some experience in some of the following techniques: cell culture, organoid culture, tissue engineering, cell biology, microbiology, and high resolution microscopy (confocal)

What we offer

This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary team working across the Division of Medicine. As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below: • 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave, 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days) • Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme • Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE) • Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan • Immigration loan • Relocation scheme for certain posts • On-Site nursery • On-site gym • Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay • Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service • Discounted medical insurance 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 fosterscreativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversityof the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fairand inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications fromcandidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minoritybackgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, inrecognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing genderequality.

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