Cryo-EM Support Scientist

at  University of Glasgow

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As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.
As a valued member of our team, you can expect:
1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.
2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.
3 A flexible approach to working.
4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.
We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.
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JOB PURPOSE

The postholder will join us at the Scottish Centre for Macromolecular Imaging (SCMI, https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/cvr/facilities/scmi/ ). The SCMI is a consortium of 4 Scottish universities with an interest in cryo-EM – University of Dundee, University of Edinburgh, University of St Andrews and University of Glasgow, where we are based. We deliver high-quality single particle and tomography data to users from our consortium partners and externally using our flagship CRYO ARM 300 microscope. We also run a sample preparation laboratory and microscopes for negative staining and cryo-screening. These are mostly used by users from University of Glasgow in our role as their local cryo-EM facility, but are also available for external use. The work is varied, with many projects and users coming through the facility. On average, we have around 30 active users each year, from total beginners through to experienced principal investigators.
The primary role of this post will be to manage operations in our sample preparation laboratory and support our users and other facility staff to conduct cryo-EM experiments and collect high quality data.
The postholder will be an emerging scientist looking to gain experience in biological imaging and structural biology.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Manage our sample preparation laboratory, looking after consumables, chemicals and gases and monitoring the performance of the equipment.
2. Act as a skilled operator for all our electron microscope and as a first line of support for user issues.
3. Induct new users into the facility.
4. Develop expertise and knowledge of the principles and practice of cryo-EM for structural biology.
5. Support the delivery of external training courses to ensure the effective development of the SCMI user community.
6. Take an active role in organising symposia and other SCMI-led events.
7. Assist facility manager and senior scientists with administrative tasks in the facility.
8. Contribute to the preparation of annual reports on SCMI performance for review by the external scientific advisory group.
9. Contribute to research publications in leading international journals and presentations at national and international conferences, thereby enhancing the reputation of the SCMI community, CVR, School, College and University.
   Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and you may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.