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: 6 September 2026

Are you a laboratory technical specialist with a passion for imaging methodologies. Are you interested in joining a multi-disciplinary team working to establish correlative light and electron microscopy for the study of muscle cell biology?

We are looking for a motivated technical specialist to join our dynamic research team. This is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with specialists in light and electron microscopy imaging and scientists at the forefront of pioneering research in metabolic and muscle diseases. Our goal is to determine how the structure of muscle cells impacts mitochondrial genetics and how in turn mitochondrial function impacts muscle cell structure and in particular nuclear position.

In this role, you will be based at our Newcastle Upon Tyne campus, which has fantastic transport links and state of the art facilities. You will join the world-class, multidisciplinary Newcastle Mitochondrial Research Group, renowned for our extensive experience in characterising mitochondrial function in both health and disease. The group also includes a vibrant Young Scientists Group. Our researchers work in close collaboration with NHS clinical activities, bridging basic and translational science to advance the understanding of mitochondrial biology to develop new therapies for patients and families.

The position is full-time and available for a duration of 16 months in the first instance, starting in mid-2026. We recognise and support diverse personal circumstances and are open to discuss flexible working arrangements.

For informal enquiries contact:
Dr Amy Vincent

• Establish, culture and cryopreserve patient-derived cells
• Prepare cells or tissue samples for imaging
• Immunofluorescent labelling of cells or tissues
• Work to optimize sample preparation and imaging alongside specialist colleagues
• 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 devolved 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, prioritize and monitor work in line with demands and deadlines
• Be a key contributor to specialism development, delivery and planning
• Contribute to and support change
• 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 following training, with limited direction
• Manage equipment bookings, calculate charges/costs and assist with re-charging

• Knowledge and experience of mammalian and human cell culture techniques or work with tissue samples
• Knowledge and experience of light microscopy or electron microscopy
• Ability to prepare high quality samples for imaging analysis
• Demonstrable work experience in a relevant technical role
• Thorough working knowledge of Health and Safety procedures
• Excellent team working skills
• Demonstrates…