Research Technician in Cell Culture, Imaging and Sample Processing

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We have an exciting opportunity to join the Mechanisms of Health & Disease research group within the School of Clinical Dentistry. The role is part of a major new externally funded interdisciplinary programme led by Dr Thomas Paterson, bringing together bioengineering, microbiology, neuroscience and translational neurotechnology.

The programme will explore whether engineered fungal networks can be developed as controllable bioelectronic interface materials. Fungal networks offer a distinctive biological platform: soft, three‑dimensional structures that can be grown, modified and tested as part of future bioelectronic interface systems.

As Research Technician, you will contribute to a programme developing candidate fungal biointerfaces and evaluating them against safety, control and functional criteria as part of a large multidisciplinary team. You will provide day‑to‑day technical support for mammalian cell culture, biological assay setup, staining, imaging preparation, sample processing and laboratory organisation. The role will support neural, glial, immune, endothelial/BBB‑relevant and other in‑vitro models used to assess fungal candidate compatibility, toxicity, inflammation, barrier effects and interface function.

You will also support ordering, stock management, reagent preparation, data organisation, sample tracking and routine maintenance of culture and assay workflows.

This role would suit someone with strong hands‑on laboratory skills in cell culture, biological sample processing, microscopy preparation, staining, histology support or related biomedical research workflows. The focus is reproducible assays, well‑organised sample handling, accurate records and reliable support for the wider research team.

• Provide dedicated technical support to the funded fungal biointerface programme, working under the direction of the principal investigator, work package leads and senior research staff.
• Maintain and support mammalian cell culture workflows, potentially including neural, glial, immune, endothelial or other project‑relevant in‑vitro models.
• Prepare media, reagents, buffers, coatings, plates and assay consumables required for biological compatibility, immune‑response, BBB/vascular and neural‑function experiments.
• Support fungal exposure experiments in cell and tissue culture models, including setup of parental, engineered, live, arrested, non‑viable and conditioned‑media conditions under approved protocols.
• Assist with viability, cytotoxicity, immunostaining, inflammation, microscopy, imaging and sample‑processing workflows.
• Prepare samples for fluorescence/confocal imaging, histology, immunocytochemistry, immunohistochemistry, endpoint analysis or external/core‑facility processing.
• Assist with routine image/data organisation, sample labelling, experimental tracking and preparation of data for review by research staff.
• Support ordering, receiving, storage and tracking of cell culture consumables, antibodies, stains, reagents,…