Technician for Rheumatology Research Group

Job Purpose

The post holder will provide technical support for the Rheumatology Research Group, and will be funded via a strategic programme award from Arthritis Research UK and an MRC Experimental Medicine Challenge Grant. The projects will use NMR-based metabolomics to identify metabolite profiles in blood, urine and stool from patients with inflammatory arthritis with the aim of identifying factors that will allow optimal therapy for each patient. Metabolomics is a relatively new branch of “Systems Biology” which allows one to investigate a broad range of factors simultaneously. This approach is increasingly used in “Stratified Medicine” where large-scale analysis of parameters from a patient allows clearer diagnosis and personalized therapy. This post presents an opportunity to gain experience in this up-and-coming and fast moving area of translational medical research.
They will be primarily responsible for the handling of biological materials (synovial tissue, blood, urine and stool as well as other human samples), from the group’s inflammatory arthritis cohorts. This role will be a key contributor to the group’s clinical research and will also work closely with collaborators across the Arthritis Research UK Centre of Excellence in Rheumatoid Arthritis Pathogenesis (Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham) and across clinical sites within the Arthritis Research UK microbiome strategic programme award (Oxford, UCL) .
Person Specification

• BSc in a biological science subject or similar or equivalent laboratory-based experience
• Experience in handling human biological samples and knowledge of the Human Tissue Act and Good Laboratory Practice principles
• Experience in metabolomics techniques
• Ability to organise and manage own work load and demonstrate flexibility in terms of work practices/requirements
• Ability to work under minimal supervision but function as part of a team
• Ability to provide support and training to other researchers in the group as needed
• Knowledge of current relevant H&S policies
• Proficiency in commonly used software packages