Job Description

Job id: 073146. Salary: \xc2\xa336,532 - 41,299 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 15 August 2023. Closing date: 20 August 2023.

Business unit: IoPPN. Department: Neuroimaging.

Contact details: Dr Diana Cash. diana.cash@kcl.ac.uk

Location: Denmark Hill. Category: Research.

THIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY

Job description

We are seeking an individual to fill a pivotal role in data acquisition and analysis at our Preclinical Neuroimaging and Biomarkers Facility, The BRAIN Centre. As part of this role, you will engage with both in vivo and ex vivo imaging methods including MRI, PET, autoradiography, and histology, with the potential for involvement in additional methodologies.

You will be entrusted with the comprehensive management of data acquisition and processing. While comprehensive training will be provided, you should be ready to independently handle all facets of these processes. Additionally, you will be supporting senior staff in a variety of data analysis protocols.

An important part of this role is to test and optimize new protocols, troubleshoot existing ones, and compose clear summaries and standard operating procedures. As the role involves working with live animals, you will be required to hold or obtain an animal license (PIL). You should be comfortable handling animals independently during both conscious and unconscious experiments.

Given the job entails working with radiation and high magnetic fields, attendance and certification from all relevant safety training sessions will be mandatory. Your responsibilities will also encompass training other staff members and students in the various techniques pertinent to this role.

Additionally, you will be performing aspects of general laboratory management such as stock taking, ordering of consumables and managing colonies of experimental animals.

You will have the opportunity to leverage your skills and knowledge to implement novel methods for neuroscience data acquisition and/or analysis, directly benefiting end users and aligning with the strategic objectives of our preclinical facility. Your role will also include presenting research findings at internal or external meetings and contributing to manuscript and/or report writing.

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract for 1 year

The post is 100% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities

• Data acquisition in vivo
• Data acquisition ex vivo
• Data processing and quality control
• Writing summaries and protocols
• Assist with laboratory management
• Assist with animal management
• Assist with training of users, staff and students
• Assist with project planning
• Assist with reporting of results to academic or industrial collaborators
• Contribute to publications arising from projects

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

• BSc and MSc in Neuroscience, Biomedicine or a related discipline
• Proficiency in histological or autoradiographic techniques
• Experience of other laboratory techniques e.g. spectrophotometry, western blot etc.
• Ability to handle animals
• Experience of neuroimaging methods
• Experience of MRI

Essential criteria

1. BSc in Biomedicine, Neuroscience or Pharmacology

2. Experimental Methods in the Biological Sciences or Neurosciences

3. Experimental Methods in Brain Imaging (MR/PET/histology/autoradiography)

4. Scientific writing and presentation skills

5. Experience of handling experimental animals

Desirable criteria

9. MSc in Biomedicine, Neuroscience or Pharmacology

10. Home office personal license

11. Basic scripting / coding (Matlab, Python, R)

12. Experience of working with radioactivity

King\'s College London