Laboratory Technical Specialist

Salary: £32,080 to £33,002 with progression to £34,610 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 22 July 2026

The Role

We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic technician with experience of laboratory-based inflammation biology.

We aim to understand the mechanisms of airway/middle ear inflammation and importantly to translate these findings into the development of new treatments and improved delivery of care for children and young people with hearing problems.

You will carry out research as part of a wider team working on a research project studying inflammation/immunity. This project will involve working on the functional assessment of human blood- and airway-derived lymphocytes (particularly B cells), the culture and maintenance of advanced adenoid and middle ear cell cultures and associated molecular biology techniques.

You will be responsible for the day-to-day management of experimental work including B/T cell challenges, FACS-based techniques, advanced cultures, investigating mechanisms and testing potential therapeutic targets. The project will involve tissue culture of primary cells as well as using broad biochemical and molecular approaches.

You will work closely with other cell biologists and epithelial culture specialists within the wider respiratory research group, including technicians, post-doctoral researchers, and PIs from adult and paediatric backgrounds.

The project involves collaboration with the Sanger Institute, UK, and the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, New Zealand.

You will be responsible for the collection, processing, analysis, presentation (writing, graph production, image production, and oral presentations at national/international conferences) and storage of experimental data in accurate, secure, detailed, and up- to-date records of all work carried out to GLP standard.

Reporting to the Institute Technical Manager team and Dr Jason Powell, the successful applicant will display an in-depth knowledge of technical or scientific practices, methods and procedures gained through either experience and/or formal qualification, and will deploy this knowledge to provide a range of technical support activities.

This role is full time fixed term for 3 years. 

For informal enquiries please contact Jason Powell at [email protected]

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/  

Find out more about our Research Institute here: Translational and Clinical Research Institute | Faculty of Medical Sciences | Newcastle University

Key Accountabilities

• Develop novel blood- and tissue-derived functional assays to study B cell functional deficiencies and test potential therapeutic targets. This will involve the generation and culture of primary cells as well as a wide range of molecular and cell biology techniques, including immunofluorescence, FACS, Western Blotting, ELISA, and RNA extraction, as required


• Complete a range of routine and complex maintenance activities and repairs


• Liaise with suppliers and manufacturers to resolve both routine and complex problems and investigate replacement options


• Advise on equipment capabilities, demonstrating how results can be achieved


• By developing local procedures, establish and maintain a safe/compliant working environment


• Hold specific safety responsibilities relevant to the specialism


• Oversee compliance tasks ensuring timely completion and maintenance of appropriate records


• Maintain in-depth and up-to-date health and safety knowledge relevant to the specialism. Assist with the completion and updating of a wide range of safety paperwork


• Schedule, prioritise and monitor work in line with demands and deadlines


• Hold delegated responsibility from the academic lead for the planning, operation and supervision of laboratory spaces occupied by the specialism


• Be a key contributor to specialism development, delivery and planning


• Contribute to and support change


• Manage one or more budgets monitoring resource usage


• Source and negotiate with suppliers for a range of items including specialist parts/equipment


• Create, update and implement procedures to deliver an aligned, efficient and effective service


• Prepare and manufacture specimens/samples requiring specialist skills with limited direction


• Manage equipment bookings, calculate charges/costs and assist with re-charging


• Design, develop and deliver inductions, demonstrations and training covering complex techniques and specialist equipment


• Assist managers with the identification of training and development needs and mentor junior staff

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience and understanding of FACS-based techniques


• Experience and understanding of molecular biology techniques in cultured cells 


• Cell culture experience


• Experience of working with clinical research samples, such as blood or tissue samples


• Thorough working knowledge of Health and Safety procedures


• Excellent team working skills


• Demonstration of technical and problem-solving capacity


• Demonstration of good organisational ability to meet deadlines, with a positive and proactive approach to duties and diligence and attention to detail


• Ability to adapt to changes in laboratory research priorities


• Specific lab or workshop experience specific to the role

Desirable 

• An in depth understanding of B and T cell and molecular biology with a particular focus on inflammation


• Understanding and experience of complex cell culture models 

Attributes and Behaviour

• Tact, diplomacy and able to handle difficult situations


• Ability to meet deadlines with effective time and resource management


• Clear communicator and active listener


• Consistent and appropriate approach to staff and situations


• Use of feedback for process improvement and staff development


• Team player, self starter and able to manage complex workloads


• Ability to respond enthusiastically and positively to undergraduate students


• Willingness to undertake some limited travel locally and internationally and a readiness to work flexibly by mutual arrangement, including outside normal office hours on occasion if required

Qualifications

• BTEC HNC / HND; or A’ level (or equivalent) qualification; or broad work experience acquired through a combination of vocational training and considerable on-the-job experience, demonstrating development through progressively more demanding relevant roles

Desirable 

• A BSc in a relevant subject area


• Professional registration with an accredited professional body (including HEA) or working towards this on appointment

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 29499