Download Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine

Imperial College London
Job Description
Job Title:
Research Assistant
Department:
Infectious Diseases and Immunity
Division:
Infectious Diseases
Department
Medicine
Job Family and Level:
Academic and Research, Level A
Salary Range:
£29,350 - £32,520 per annum
Responsible To:
Dr Rosemary Boyton
Working Relationships:
BRC Facility Manager. Members of the Lung
Immunology Group, Department of Infectious Diseases
and Immunity and project research team. Research
staff/students in the Department of Medicine and on the
Hammersmith Campus using the Facility.
Location:
Hammersmith Campus
Duration:
Full-time, fixed-term until 31st March 2016.
BRC Imaging and FACS Facility:
The NIHR BRC-funded Imaging and FACS facility is based on the 8th Floor of the
Commonwealth Building, Department of Medicine, Hammersmith Campus. It offers
state-of-the-art imaging and cell-sorting for cell phenotype and imaging studies. It is
equipped with a customized BD FACS Aria II multi-parameter cell sorter and a Leica
TCS-SP5 Confocal Microscope. Groups drawn from the Hammersmith Hospital
Campus and beyond in the Academic Health Sciences Centre and Imperial College
London also use the facility. Users have been drawn from diverse specialties and
with different applications for multi-parameter sorting and phenotypic analysis
including: Infectious Diseases and Immunity, Immunology, Neuroscience, Gene
Therapy, Experimental Medicine, Haematology, Respiratory, Renal &
Transplantation, Inflammation and Signal Transduction. The mission for the Facility is
to enable researchers to perform cutting edge research.
Job Summary
Based in the Lung Immunology Group in the Department of Infectious Diseases and
Immunity, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine at the
Hammersmith Campus, you will be supporting the day-to-day running of the BRC
facility. This will include providing training, assistance and technical support to users.
You will ensure that all users receive adequate training, comply with all health and
safety requirements and provide assistance with the analysis of results. You will
perform cell sorting and flow analyses, confocal and other imaging, provide
consultation to scientists in planning for experiments as well as provide training when
appropriate. You will assist by following and enforcing facility policies and guidelines,
doing administrative duties and other duties required for the operation and
maintenance of the facility.
Research Duties
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To provide support to users of the facility
To ensure calibration and cleaning of the equipment and ensure the
instruments are well maintained
To ensure all quality controls, operational maintenance and routine servicing
of the equipment are performed and up to date
To keep all health and safety documentation up to date and ensure that it is
adhered to
To repair instruments and/or initiate requests for instrument repair through
vendors
To oversee the purchase of supplies and maintain sufficient levels of
consumables
To ensure the validity and reliability of data at all times
To maintain accurate and complete records of all findings
To maintain best knowledge of current practices in both flow cytometry,
confocal and other imaging
To identify and develop suitable techniques, and apparatus, for the collection
and analysis of data
To conduct data analysis and interpretation of research data with minimal
supervision
To participate in Lung Immunology Group and laboratory research meetings,
journal clubs, work in progress and internal seminars
To attend relevant workshops, meetings and conferences as required
Preparation of data for publications and presentation at conferences
To promote the reputation of the Group, the Department and the College
To facilitate and conduct scientific research projects within the Lung
Immunology Group
Any other duties as may be deemed reasonable by Head of group
Other Duties
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To assist with general laboratory activities
To undertake appropriate administration tasks
To attend relevant meetings
To undertake any necessary training and/or development
Any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post as directed by line
manager
To observe and comply with all College policies and regulations, including the
key policies and procedures on Confidentiality, Conflict of Interest, Data
Protection, Equal Opportunities, Ethics related, External Interests, Financial
Regulations, Health and Safety, Imperial Expectations (for new leaders,
managers and supervisors), Information Technology, and Smoking.
To undertake specific safety responsibilities relevant to individual roles, as set
out on the College Website Health and Safety Structure and Responsibilities
page
(http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/safety/policies/organisationandarrangements).
Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the post-holder may be required to
undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key
responsibilities.
Imperial College London is committed to equality and valuing diversity.
Person Specification
Imperial Expectations
These are the 7 principles that Imperial leaders, managers and supervisors are
expected to follow:
1)
Champion a positive approach to change and opportunity
2)
Communicate regularly and effectively within, and across, teams
3)
Consider the thoughts and expectations of others
4)
Deliver positive outcomes
5)
Encourage inclusive participation and eliminate discrimination
6)
Support and develop staff to optimise talent
7)
Work in a planned and managed way
Candidates/postholders will be expected to demonstrate the following:
Qualification
Essential
 BSc or equivalent in Biological Science, Physical Science or another relevant
discipline
Desirable
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Home Office Licence
Experience
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Previous experience of operating BD FACSAria™ II or other cell sorter
Confocal Microscope and/or other imaging instruments
Previous experience of software such as FACSDiva and FlowJo
Previous experience in advanced microscopy and imaging
Experience of laboratory safety procedures, compliance with health and
safety protocols
Skills and Abilities
Essential
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Strong team player with the ability to work independently
Strong computer skills
Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
Ability to organise and prioritise own work with minimal supervision and in
respond to deadlines
Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
Proven troubleshooting abilities
Proven data analysis and interpretation skills
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Ability to work under pressure.
Ability to maintain high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.