King's College London

About Us

This post is based within the Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics in King’s College London. The Randall is composed of scientists using a broad range of model systems and cutting-edge research techniques to understand processes related to basic and clinical medicine. The project is also in collaboration with the Lennon laboratory, based in the Centre for Cell Matrix Research at the University of Manchester, which is a Wellcome Trust funded Centre for the development of novel techniques to understand the role and regulation of the extracellular matrix. For more information on the work of the laboratory please visit  www.stramerlab.com.

About the Faculty

The  Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine is one of the largest and most successful centres for research and education in the UK.  The Faculty brings together translational and clinical scientists to provide new cross-divisional research collaborations while optimising the deployment of teaching expertise across the Faculty.

About the School

The School of Basic & Medical Biosciences is led by Professor Mathias Gautel and comprises five departments with a wide range of expertise and interests.

Using a bench to bedside approach, the School aims to answer fundamental questions about biology in health and disease and apply this to the development of new and innovative clinical practise, alongside providing a rigorous academic programme for students.

About the Department

The  Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics continues the tradition of Biophysics at King’s established by Sir John Randall, which produced the famous studies of the structure of DNA by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. Much of this early work was supported by the Medical Research Council, who still provide a large part of our research funding.

Research in ‘the Randall’ has a strong interdisciplinary flavour, and we have joint appointments and extensive collaborations with the Asthma, Allergy and Lung Biology, Cancer Studies, Cardiovascular, Chemistry, Developmental Neurobiology, and Physics Divisions. We contribute expertise in molecular and cell biology, molecular structure, and molecular cell imaging to these and other areas of research in the Health Schools at King’s. Many of our research groups operate at the interface between the health, biomedical and physical sciences, developing new techniques for application in biology and medicine.

About the role

We are looking for a motivated Technician/ Senior Technician role, dependent on experience, to work in the laboratory of Professor Brian Stramer within the Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics at King’s College London. This is a Wellcome Trust funded project in collaboration with The University of Manchester. The goal of this project is to exploit Drosophila genetics to understand the role and regulation of the extracellular matrix during development and disease. The postholder will be responsible for overseeing the Drosophila laboratory, coordinating fly stocks, and helping perform day-to-day experiments. They will also need to collaborate with several scientists working on this project who are based at King’s College London and The University of Manchester in order to coordinate experiments and analyse results. They will gain experience with Drosophila genetics, molecular biology and advanced imaging techniques.

For more information on the work of the laboratory please visit  www.stramerlab.com, or contact Dr. Brian Stramer (brian.m.stramer@kcl.ac.uk)

This is a full time post, and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 24 months.  This is a laboratory-based role that will require the post holder to work on site 5 days per week. Earliest start date is 3rd of February 2025.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Post title: Technician 

Grade: 4

Essential criteria

1. Minimum level 3 qualification, e.g. A levels, AS levels, International Baccalaureate diploma or other Level 3 qualification, plus work experience in relevant technical/scientific posts OR Considerable knowledge and skills gained through work experience in relevant technical or scientific posts
2. Good communication skills – orally and in writing with proficient computer use (Microsoft Office packages ) and strong interpersonal and influencing/behavioural skills
3. Good project planning, organisational skills and ability to learn and implement new techniques fast
4. Evidence of an active commitment to career development including professional registration, such as RSciTech or RSci and clear progression in increasingly demanding jobs
5. Previous basic experience working in a biological laboratory, including a capacity to analyse and interpret data
6. Being able to work independently and as part of a team, planning own day-to-day research activity, responding to changing priorities and an evolving environment/context, maximising the efficiency of the technical support being provided and resolving problems as they arise, using standard procedures and initiative
7. Working knowledge of regulations and best practice governing area of work, including Health & Safety and environmental sustainability

Desirable criteria

1. Experience working with microscopy
2. Experience with fine dissections under a stereomicroscope
3. Experience working with Drosophila or knowledge of Drosophila as a model organism
4. BSc degree in a biological discipline or other degree in cell, developmental biology or genetics
5. Knowledge of computer programming

Post title: Senior Technician

Grade: 5

Essential criteria

1. Minimum level 4 qualification, e.g., higher apprenticeship, HNC or other Level 4 award, plus work experience in relevant technical/scientific posts OR Considerable knowledge and skills gained through work experience in relevant technical or scientific posts.
2. Strong communication skills – orally and in writing with proficient computer use (Microsoft Office packages ) and strong interpersonal and influencing/behavioural skills.
3. Strong project planning, organisational skills and ability to learn and implement new techniques fast.
4. Evidence of an active commitment to career development including professional registration, such as RSci, or working towards CSci and clear progression in increasingly demanding jobs.
5. Previous experience working in a biological laboratory.
6. Previous in-depth knowledge of technical or scientific practices, methods and procedures gained through experience and/or formal qualification working in a biological laboratory, including a capacity to analyse and interpret complex data.
7. Being confident to work independently and as part of a team, planning own day-to-day research activity, responding to changing priorities and an evolving environment/context, maximising the efficiency of the technical support being provided and resolving problems as they arise, using standard procedures and initiative.
8. Working knowledge of regulations and best practice governing area of work, including Health & Safety and environmental sustainability.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience working with microscopy.
2. Experience with fine dissections under a stereomicroscope.
3. Experience working with Drosophila or knowledge of Drosophila as a model organism.
4. BSc degree in a biological discipline or other degree in cell, developmental biology or genetics.
5. Knowledge of computer programming

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held on the week of November 18th or December 9th (may be subject to change).

We may be able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK but this will be dependent on individual circumstances.