Assistant Technician (Media Preparation Facility) at UCL

Ref Number

B02-09267

Professional Expertise

Laboratory Technical and Lab Support

Department

School of Life & Medical Sciences (B02)

Location

London

Working Pattern

Full time

Salary

£31,904-£35,575

Contract Type

Permanent

Working Type

On site

Available for Secondment

Closing Date

01-Sept-2025

About us

The Faculty is made up of five academic Divisions; the School of Pharmacy, Biosciences, the Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neurocircuits and Behaviour and the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit. In addition it is home to a specialist teaching facility; the Cruciform Teaching Facilities Unit. Some of the constituent parts of the Faculty have long and distinguished histories that can be traced back to the early 19th century when UCL was founded and we are proud to have nine Nobel Laureates associated with Life Sciences.

Biosciences is one of the world’s foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences and one of the largest Divisions within UCL, undertaking a significant amount of research and teaching. The Division has a diverse portfolio addressing all areas of biology from protein interactions to cell function, organism development, genetics, population studies and the environment.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Media Preparation Facility. This post will support the research and teaching community by providing routine technical assistance within their area of specialism.

The role includes working collaboratively as part of the Media Preparation Facility Technical Team to deliver a reliable and high-quality service to the research and teaching community in relation to providing media for Drosophila melanogaster, C. elegans, and other model organisms. This post will engage with other divisional teams to help implement coordinated practices across the division.

This post will work collaboratively with the other members of the Facility Technical Team, and Core Technical Teams, to deliver high quality technical provision, media preparation and administrative support.

Continuation of essential Drosophila melanogaster and C. elegans research strongly relies on the dependable service the Media Preparation Facility Technical Team provide. To deliver this, the individual must be reliable, adaptable and have excellent problem solving and organisational skills.

Please note: this position requires regular manual handling tasks, including the lifting, moving, and carrying of materials as part of the daily duties.

Main duties and responsibilities include:

• Preparing large volumes of media accurately and efficiently, following specific recipes and meeting order deadlines.

• Processing glassware and disposing of fly media culture waste daily.

• Supporting the day-to-day facility operations, including organising resources, managing stores, ordering supplies, and storing reagents.

• Following established procedures to deliver a high-quality service and suggesting improvements.

• Supporting ongoing changes and improvements in collaboration with the facility manager.

We will consider applications to work on a job share basis wherever possible.

This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.

A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have any queries about the role, please contact Beth Wallis (beth.wallis@ucl.ac.uk). If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact the HR team at fls.hr@ucl.ac.uk , quoting the advert reference number in your subject line.

About you

Ideally you will have a BSc, or level 5, qualification in a relevant Biological Sciences subject or equivalent experience. Previous experience of working in a laboratory-based environment and a working knowledge of Health and Safety in the workplace/laboratory is essential. Some theoretical and practical knowledge of preparing large volumes of media and of operating industrial glass washers and autoclaves, would be an advantage.

You’re a reliable and committed individual with excellent attention to detail and a strong work ethic. You work efficiently and independently, take initiative, and are accountable for your responsibilities. Flexible and helpful, you're open to occasional out-of-hours support if needed. A positive team player, you actively contribute, support colleagues, and value continuous learning and constructive feedback.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)

• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme

• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)

• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan

• Immigration loan and expenses

• Relocation scheme for certain posts

• On-Site nursery

• On-site gym

• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay

• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service

• Discounted medical insurance

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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.

Our division holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.