Senior Research Technician

at  University College London

ABOUT US

The CRUK City of London Centre was established in 2018 as a partnership between University College London, King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, and The Francis Crick Institute. The Centre’s mission is to transform cancer outcomes through effective biological therapies. The Centre aims to develop and implement effective biological cancer therapies based on deep understanding of tumour origins, evolution, and response to intervention, increasing treatment options and transforming outcomes in adult and paediatric cancers. We explore the mechanisms and efficacy of biotherapy alongside other modalities, including sophisticated radiotherapy, and treatment protocols supported by earlier detection and diagnosis, increasing the chance of long-term survival.
This partnership will expand clinical trials within the populations of both UCL Partners and the King’s Health Partnership, which together cover approximately 10 million (15%) of the UK population. By uniting multidisciplinary academic and clinical expertise across the partnership, the Centre will not only significantly impact on the development of biotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer but revolutionise the way cancer research is conducted in London.
Further Information about the CRUK City of London Centre can be found on our website: https://www.colcc.ac.uk/
This role is hosted by the UCL Cancer Institute on behalf of the CRUK City of London Centre. The UCL Cancer Institute is a £40 million investment in central London based at UCL, one of the world’s top universities and a founding member of the Francis Crick Institute, aimed at developing world-class basic and translational cancer research. Bringing together over 300 academic and clinical cancer researchers, and through its associations with partner NHS Trusts (UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Free Hospital NHS Foundation Trust), the Institute has greater clinical links than any comparable Centre in the UK, creating a unique opportunity for significant impact on the delivery of clinical service to cancer patients.
Information about the UCL Cancer Institute can be found on our website https://www.ucl.ac.uk/cancer/

ABOUT THE ROLE

The post holder will be primarily responsible for managing and running the Explant and Patient-Derived Xenograft platform within the Centre. The goal of the platform is to provide expertise, support and explore methods for the generation of patient-derived explants and xenograft models for the use in the evaluation of current and novel immunotherapy agents and combination therapies. The post holder will have extensive knowledge on handling human tissue, working with biobank, studies and clinical trials. The post holder will work with member the CRUK City of London Centre to establish the relevant SOPs for establishment of these models including sample procurement, processing, and analysis.
In addition the post holder should have experience in training and supervising staff and students; help develop, plan, execute and analyse data. The post holder will engage with internal and external stakeholders, and be involved in writing grant proposals and peer-review scientific journals.
The post is a maternity cover from 1st April 2025 till 31st March 2026 (12 months) fixed term for external applicants.
The post is also available as a secondment for internal UCL candidates only.
Your application should include a CV and a Cover Letter: In the Cover Letter please evidence the essential and desirable criteria in the Person Specification part of the Job Description. (By including a Cover Letter, you can leave blank the ‘Why you have applied for this role’ field in the application form, which is limited in the number of characters it will allow.)

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insuranc