Research Technician -Maternity Cover Full-time NEW

Research Technician – Maternity Cover

We are seeking a motivated and organised Research Technician to play a central role in supporting cutting-edge behavioural neuroscience research within the Akrami, Erlich and Saxe laboratories at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre (SWC). Working in a high throughput, highly automated behavioural training facility, you will support the care, handling and training of rats and mice, as well as cleaning and maintenance of behavioural setups.

This is a hands-on, impactful role at the heart of experimental activity, supporting the generation of high quality, reproducible data. You will work predominantly independently within the behavioural training facility, leading on the monitoring of animal behaviour and the upkeep of behavioural training setups. While the role is largely self-directed, you will liaise as needed with researchers, facility staff and the Neurobiological Research Facility to ensure ethical, legal and scientific standards are met and to support the effective operation of the facility.

The role is physical in nature and involves moving animal cages and equipment between holding rooms and behavioural training spaces. It follows a rotating shift pattern to support animal training across the week, with 9-hour working days and working days varying between weeks depending on weekend cover requirements. The post-holder will be expected to work approximately 26 weekends per year, as part of a wider team rota. This is a 12-month fixed-term maternity cover post.

You are a reliable, organised and conscientious individual who enjoys hands-on work in a research environment and is motivated by supporting high-quality scientific research. You have experience handling and caring for rodents and are comfortable working with routine procedures while maintaining accuracy, attention to detail and high ethical standards. You are confident working independently, using your initiative to manage tasks and resolve issues, while recognising when advice or input from colleagues is needed.

You also work well as part of a team, communicating clearly and building positive working relationships with researchers, technicians and facility staff. You have strong organisational skills and are able to manage a varied workload, keep clear and accurate records, and work flexibly to meet the needs of a busy research facility. You are proficient in MS Office and digital systems, and willing to learn new tools and databases used to support large-scale behavioural research.

Above all, a commitment to supporting research that is conducted rigorously, collaboratively and responsibly. The role offers opportunities to broaden your technical skills and contribute more widely to experimental work as your experience develops.

The SWC offers staff an award-winning work environment in the heart of Fitzrovia with access to pleasant outdoor spaces. The Centre also offers the full range of UCL staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement, occupational pension schemes, excellent family-friendly policies such as occupational shared parental pay, career break policy, a work-life balance policy, and a range of financial benefits such as a season ticket loan scheme and staff discounts. SWC prides itself on offering a high quality administrative, technical and operational support function, and fully supports the professional development and progression of its staff, actively encouraging colleagues to learn new skills and broaden their experience. The SWC is supported in this aim by UCL's Organisational Development team who run a wide range of training programmes for all staff types and grades.

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. The Athena SWAN Charter recognises commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths, and medicine (STEMM) employment in academia. SWC is delighted to have received an Athena Swan Bronze Award in 2021. We stand by our commitment to positive action to improve equality and accessibility in the workplace. We will provide reasonable adjustments to enable people to work and flourish with us. SWC is proud to uphold both UCL's Dignity at Work and Work-Life Balance policies. As Centre we commit to fostering a positive cultural climate where all staff and students can thrive and and actively support Wellbeing@UCL.