Job Description

Salary for this Role:

From \xc2\xa331,675 with benefits, subject to skills and experience.

Job Title:

Laboratory Research Scientist - Confocal Microscope Quality Control Specialist

Reports to: Kurt Anderson

Closing Date: 26/Jul/2023 23.59 GMT

:

Laboratory Research Scientist - Confocal Microscope Quality Control Specialist

Reports to Head of Crick Advanced Light Microscopy

This is a full-time permanent position on Crick Terms and Conditions of Employment.

Summary

This role is an excellent opportunity for someone with good technical skills to support exiting research at the Francis Crick Institute. We maintain over 20 fluorescence microscopes within the core facility and around the building. To keep these instruments in top working order we have created the role of Confocal Microscope Quality Control Specialist to perform regular quality control testing. The successful candidate will work with local \xe2\x80\x9csuper-users\xe2\x80\x9d to understand performance issues, coordinate service engineer visits for repairs when required, and follow-up to ensure that repairs have been successful.

Quality control is an important aspect of the service provided by any research facility. This helps to ensure the reproducibility of results and avoid wasting precious resources, including staff time and lab consumables. The Confocal QC Specialist will regularly inspect each confocal microscope under our care. They will perform a standard series of tests on these instruments to assess system performance using criteria including instrument sensitivity, resolution, and precision of movement. Inspections will also entail cleaning each instrument and updating software and service packs as required. If significant performance issues are detected, or if local users report problems, the Confocal QC Specialist will liaise with service engineers from the relevant microscope company to arrange for repairs. Following service engineer visits, the Confocal QC Specialist will test equipment to ensure that repairs have been completed to an acceptable standard and record the system performance to use as a reference for future tests. In this way the Confocal QC Specialist will serve as a first point of contact, linking local \xe2\x80\x9csuper-users\xe2\x80\x9d of each instrument to the support team of the light microscopy core facility. Finally, the Quality Control Specialist will work with partners from other Crick Departments, such as Finance and Asset Management, on the management of service contracts and other microscopy assets.

Key responsibilities

These include but are not limited to:

Acquire and analyse images of test samples, designed to capture key features of instrument performance

Maintain a record of system performance for each confocal microscope under our care

Coordinate with local users to understand instrument performance issues

Coordinate with service engineers to arrange equipment repairs and follow up to ensure these are done correctly

Evaluate new methods for routine microscope maintenance

Inspect and clean microscope components, including objectives, eyepieces, and peripherals

Replenish lab consumables, including lens tissues and immersion oil.

Install and update software.

Key experience and competencies

The post holder should embody and demonstrate our core Crick values: Bold, Imaginative, Open, Dynamic and Collegial, as well as the following:

Essential

A degree in physics, engineering, or a related subject

Some experience working with technical instruments

Familiarity with basic statistics

Ability to work effectively within a team and to work independently

Project management skills, including the ability to prioritise work

Effective written and verbal communication skills

Ability to think creatively and problem-solve

Desirable - experience in any of these areas would be advantageous

Training and/or teaching experience

Familiarity with a programming language such as Java, C, or Python

Please note: all offers of employment are subject to successful security screening and continuous eligibility to work in the United Kingdom.

Find out what benefits the Crick has to offer:

For more information on our great pay and benefits package please click here:

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, pregnancy, age, disability, or civil partnership, marital or family status. We particularly welcome applications from people who are Minority Ethnic as they are currently underrepresented in the Crick at this level.

Diversity is essential to excellence in scientific endeavour. It increases breadth and perspective, leading to more innovation and creativity. We want the Crick to be a place where everyone feels valued and where diversity is celebrated and seen as part of the foundation for our Institute\xe2\x80\x99s success.

The Crick is committed to creating equality of opportunity and promoting diversity and inclusivity. We all share in the responsibility to actively promote dignity, respect, inclusivity and equal treatment and it is our aim to ensure that these principles are reflected and implemented in all strategies, policies and practices.

Read more on our website:

Francis Crick Institute