Download Zoological Society of London

Zoological Society of London
PATHOLOGY ASSISTANT (Temporary)
Job Description
Purpose
Based at Regents Park the post is to assist the Veterinary Pathologist with routine
diagnostic pathology duties in order to care for the health and welfare of animals in the
Society's Living Collections and animals involved in wild animal surveillance activities.
Tasks
1 Assisting the department with the investigation of causes of death and disease in
animals held in the ZSL collections primarily by note-taking and assisting with post
mortem and follow-up examinations.
2 Soliciting and coordinating the submission of post-mortem material for surveillance
projects on the causes of death and disease of free-living and captive wild animals.
3 Data entry to WildPath in order to generate PME Reports and data entry to the
mortality spreadsheets
4 Record keeping, including both paper and electronic (computer) records, and the
maintenance of files.
5 Management (cataloguing, storing and dispatching) of tissue archives (tissues that
have been frozen, fixed, paraffin-embedded or sectioned for histology) and of the
Pathology Museum.
6 Daily upkeep of the post-mortem room, histopathology laboratory and associated
equipment and protective clothing, including stock-keeping.
7 Working closely with the curatorial and animal keeping staff of London Zoo and
Whipsnade Wild Animal Park and with the staff of the Institute of Zoology in carrying
out these duties.
Reports to
Veterinary Pathologist, Edmund Flach
Person specification
The jobholder will preferably have experience of working in a laboratory but this is not a
requirement as training will be given as necessary. They must be able to operate in a
team and alone. Prior experience with post mortem examinations would be an
advantage, but is not essential. A working knowledge of spreadsheets and databases
and general IT literacy is important, as is an ability to learn quickly, to show initiative and
to willingly take on responsibilities.
Salary Range
Salary will be in the range of £ (including London weighting of )