Research Technician
| Posting date: | 17 September 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £31,236 to £35,608 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 24 September 2025 |
| Location: | Southampton, Hampshire |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | University of Southampton |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 3210225BJ |
Summary
The Glycoprotein Therapeutics Laboratory, led by Professor Max Crispin, focuses on developing antiviral vaccines and antibody-based therapies against cancer. A key area of interest is HIV vaccine design, particularly understanding how glycans influence viral protein structure and function, and how they can be manipulated for therapeutic applications.
We are seeking a part-time Research Technician to support laboratory research on HIV-1 glycobiology. The role includes mammalian cell culture, glycoprotein and pseudovirus production, protein purification, and sample preparation for mass spectrometry. The postholder will ensure smooth day-to-day running of experiments, accurate data recording, and high-quality outputs, while contributing to lab maintenance and collaborative projects.
Key Responsibilities
Mammalian Cell Culture: Maintain mammalian cell lines used for glycoprotein and pseudovirus production. Perform transfections and monitor cell growth to ensure optimal conditions.
Glycoprotein Production: Express HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins in mammalian cells. Purify proteins using nickel affinity and size-exclusion chromatography. Prepare samples for mass spectrometry analysis.
Pseudovirus Production: Assist in the generation of HIV-1 pseudoviruses. Conduct quality checks to ensure reproducibility and consistency across batches.
Laboratory Support: Prepare buffers, reagents, and culture media as needed. Maintain laboratory equipment and ensure compliance with safety standards. Support adherence to protocols and maintain accurate records.
Data Management: Document procedures, sample inventories, and experimental results. Keep detailed logs for pseudovirus and glycoprotein samples.
Collaboration: Work closely with postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and technical staff. Provide technical support across HIV-1 glycobiology projects.
About You
Knowledge, Experience and Qualifications
You should have a degree in biochemistry, molecular biology, virology, or a related field—or equivalent experience. Experience with mammalian cell culture techniques is essential. Familiarity with protein expression and purification methods (e.g., GNL affinity) and experience in pseudovirus production and purification are highly desirable.
Teamwork and Communication
You work effectively in a collaborative team environment and communicate clearly regarding progress and priorities. Maintaining accurate written and verbal records is essential.
Planning, Organisation and Resource Management
You organise lab tasks efficiently and contribute to stock management. You seek input from colleagues to refine experimental designs and improve workflows.
Problem Solving and Initiative
You troubleshoot technical issues using established practices and resolve routine problems such as contamination or poor yields. You contribute to improving lab practices within protocols and demonstrate flexibility when learning new methods.
What We Offer
Working at the University of Southampton provides access to excellent benefits including pension schemes, generous annual leave with university closure days, and family leave arrangements. We support flexible working and welcome applications from those returning from a career break.
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applicants who support our mission of inclusivity.
The University is a signatory of the Technician Commitment and a partner affiliate of the National Technician Development Centre (NTDC). We are committed to supporting our technical staff and offer a wide range of opportunities including networking, mentoring, training, professional registration and career development. We really value all our technical staff and recognise the broad range of skills they have in support of education, research and enterprise activities. By joining you will be part of a bigger technical community, offering support and guidance.
Apply by 11.59 pm GMT on the closing date. For assistance contact Recruitment on +44(0)2380 592750 or recruitment@soton.ac.uk quoting the job number.
We are seeking a part-time Research Technician to support laboratory research on HIV-1 glycobiology. The role includes mammalian cell culture, glycoprotein and pseudovirus production, protein purification, and sample preparation for mass spectrometry. The postholder will ensure smooth day-to-day running of experiments, accurate data recording, and high-quality outputs, while contributing to lab maintenance and collaborative projects.
Key Responsibilities
Mammalian Cell Culture: Maintain mammalian cell lines used for glycoprotein and pseudovirus production. Perform transfections and monitor cell growth to ensure optimal conditions.
Glycoprotein Production: Express HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins in mammalian cells. Purify proteins using nickel affinity and size-exclusion chromatography. Prepare samples for mass spectrometry analysis.
Pseudovirus Production: Assist in the generation of HIV-1 pseudoviruses. Conduct quality checks to ensure reproducibility and consistency across batches.
Laboratory Support: Prepare buffers, reagents, and culture media as needed. Maintain laboratory equipment and ensure compliance with safety standards. Support adherence to protocols and maintain accurate records.
Data Management: Document procedures, sample inventories, and experimental results. Keep detailed logs for pseudovirus and glycoprotein samples.
Collaboration: Work closely with postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and technical staff. Provide technical support across HIV-1 glycobiology projects.
About You
Knowledge, Experience and Qualifications
You should have a degree in biochemistry, molecular biology, virology, or a related field—or equivalent experience. Experience with mammalian cell culture techniques is essential. Familiarity with protein expression and purification methods (e.g., GNL affinity) and experience in pseudovirus production and purification are highly desirable.
Teamwork and Communication
You work effectively in a collaborative team environment and communicate clearly regarding progress and priorities. Maintaining accurate written and verbal records is essential.
Planning, Organisation and Resource Management
You organise lab tasks efficiently and contribute to stock management. You seek input from colleagues to refine experimental designs and improve workflows.
Problem Solving and Initiative
You troubleshoot technical issues using established practices and resolve routine problems such as contamination or poor yields. You contribute to improving lab practices within protocols and demonstrate flexibility when learning new methods.
What We Offer
Working at the University of Southampton provides access to excellent benefits including pension schemes, generous annual leave with university closure days, and family leave arrangements. We support flexible working and welcome applications from those returning from a career break.
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applicants who support our mission of inclusivity.
The University is a signatory of the Technician Commitment and a partner affiliate of the National Technician Development Centre (NTDC). We are committed to supporting our technical staff and offer a wide range of opportunities including networking, mentoring, training, professional registration and career development. We really value all our technical staff and recognise the broad range of skills they have in support of education, research and enterprise activities. By joining you will be part of a bigger technical community, offering support and guidance.
Apply by 11.59 pm GMT on the closing date. For assistance contact Recruitment on +44(0)2380 592750 or recruitment@soton.ac.uk quoting the job number.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.