Faculty of Medicine and Health
School of Medicine
Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology
Section of Oncology & Clinical Research (CALA)
Senior Research Technician, Translational Neuro-Oncology group
This post is based within the translational neuro-oncology group at the Leeds Institute of
Cancer and Pathology (LICAP). The group’s aims are to improve the outcome of adult and
paediatric brain cancer treatment through a better understanding of tumour cell biology
and the response to radiation and drugs.
Dr Lucy Stead is the lead on a project within the group, aimed at identifying treatmentresistant glioma cells. This requires the use of single cell techniques and the ability to
apply these to patient materials. Fresh material from surgery and fresh-frozen samples
have been identified for use in this project from numerous locations.
You will be expected to research and carry out experiments independently using and
developing appropriate techniques to support this work; to organise the transport and
databasing of relevant samples; to liaise with clinicians to process and annotate samples;
to ascertain how to create debris-free single-cell solutions and apply single-cell
techniques; to liaise with the flow cytometry service to have samples sorted into single
cells; to make and QC next-generation sequencing libraries; to liaise with the sequencing
service to have nucleotides sequenced; to provide appropriate lab management support to
the group.
The University of Leeds is committed to providing equal opportunities for all and
offers a range of family friendly policies (http://hr.leeds.ac.uk/homepage/4/policies).
The University is a charter member of Athena SWAN and holds the Bronze award.
The School of Medicine gained the Bronze award in 2013. We are committed to
being an inclusive medical school that values all staff, and we are happy to consider
job share applications and requests for flexible working arrangements from our
employees.
This full time post is available immediately for a fixed term period of 6 months and
will be based at St James’s University Hospital
University Grade 6 (£25,513– £30,434) depending on qualifications and experience
Informal enquiries regarding the post should be directed to Dr Lucy Stead, email:
l.f.stead@leeds.ac.uk
If you have any specific enquiries about your online application please contact Nicola
Johnson, email: N.johnson@leeds.ac.uk or Sharon Collins, e-mail: s.collins@leeds.ac.uk
Job Ref: MHCAP1026
Closing Date: 29 July 2015
The Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology (LICAP)
Director: Professor Tim Bishop
http://medhealth.leeds.ac.uk/info/900/leeds_institute_of_cancer_and_pathology
The Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology addresses both laboratory based and clinical
research into cancer with a major focus on translational science. LICAP is one of the
largest cancer Institute’s in the country and has major financial support from the cancer
charities. The laboratories and clinical research are all based on the St James’s site with
laboratory activities being located in the Wellcome Trust Brenner Building and adjacent
buildings while the clinical work is based within Bexley Wing. The Institute consists of eight
Sections:
Epidemiology & Biostatistics; Experimental Haematology; Experimental
Oncology; Oncology & Clinical Research (Clinical); Oncology & Clinical Research
(Laboratory); Patient Centred Outcome Research; Pre-cancer Genomics; and Pathology &
Tumour Biology.
Cancer Research UK Leeds Centre
http://www.cancerresearchukcentre.leeds.ac.uk
The Leeds Cancer Research UK Centre is a partnership between the University of Leeds,
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Cancer Research UK, which aims to harness
the scientific power of Leeds-based cancer researchers to deliver improvements in cancer
care at local, national and international level. It fosters excellence in basic and
translational research and offers services to all cancer researchers in Leeds, irrespective
of their funding source. Beyond research, the Centre is also keen to build stronger
relationships with the local community, with patients undergoing cancer treatment, their
carers, cancer survivors and the wider public.
Section of Oncology and Clinical Research (Laboratory) – Professor Alan Melcher
The Section’s research is centred on i) viruses as causative and therapeutic agents in
cancer, ii) interactions between tumours and the host immune system (with a particular
focus on the role of natural killer cells), iii) neuro-oncology, including glioma stem cells,
the tumour microenvironment in brain tumours, and radiation biology and therapeutics, and
iv) Identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets in renal cancer and other diseases
of the kidney, principally using proteomic techniques. The Section focuses particularly on
translational research, spanning laboratory studies through to early clinical trials, to
provide an iterative ‘bench to bedside and back again’ platform to develop novel
treatments for cancer patients.
Job Description
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
Main duties of the post
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Contribute to the processing and storage of fresh and snap frozen human tumour
tissue.
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Contributing to planning, execution and analysis of approaches for dissociating
patient tumour material into single cells and applying single cell techniques.
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Assessing the quality of single cell sorting and making decisions regarding how to
progress based on QC data.
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Assessing the quality of nucleotide extraction and making decisions regarding how
to progress based on QC data.
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Contributing to the testing and creation of next-generation sequencing libraries from
single cells.
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To attend project, research group and laboratory meetings.
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To be committed to Good Laboratory Practice and continuous improvement.
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To maintain a safe work environment, including ensuring compliance with
legislation and the undertaking of risk assessments.
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Be willing to attend courses on and/or off-site to learn new skills and protocols
required to fulfil this role.
Research
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Conduct literature and relevant database searches around the best
approaches for single cell dissociation and subsequent nucleotide
sequencing.
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Be sensitive to and plan to avoid potential duplication of effort and conflict
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Independently use a wide range of standard techniques and highly specialised
techniques with ability to troubleshoot and solve problems as they occur.
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Develop novel techniques or
operating procedures (SOPS)
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Analyse and interpret laboratory and research data with reference to relevant literature,
to assess the quality of outputs and determine next course of action.
approaches
including
writing
standard
Lab Management
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Be responsible for the co-ordination of purchasing of lab consumables
and equipment for the research project.
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Assist the Project Lead with budgetary management/ monitoring including
monitoring expenditure across grant budgets and helping estimate costs
for new projects.
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Assist in managing the pathway for bringing clinical material (eg resected
tumour material) in to the lab, working with colleagues in the Leeds
Tumour Bank and Brain Tumour Northwest Tissue Bank
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To participate in any laboratory duties commensurate with the grade as required

To help others within the research group or collaborators elsewhere to solve problems
and take initiative in planning longer-term solutions to problems and management of
activities within laboratory
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To take initiative in establishing new techniques, acquiring new equipment and
maintaining state of the art within specific area of laboratory expertise
Communication

To keep up to date and accurate records of own procedures.
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Teach and provide demonstrations of specific laboratory or other analysis methods to
colleagues within and outside of the immediate research team.

Liaise with research and clinical colleagues within the NHS trust and across other areas
of the Faculty and Institute to annotate samples, understand results and share good
practice

Use expert knowledge to provide support to colleagues on both routine and more
complex matters.

Make and maintain relevant internal and external contacts to develop knowledge,
acquire new techniques etc including contacts with equipment providers and other
users of novel equipment locally and nationally

Liaison with the project lead, group leader and other members of team/other
collaborating groups, to ensure timely and well planned completion of tasks

Balance administrative/infrastructure responsibilities with research activities
Teamwork

Be self-directing in own area.
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Actively participate as member of research team and be involved in liaising with
other group members to contribute to shared goals

Attend relevant
communication
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Be involved in the induction of new staff as and when appropr iate
meetings
to
contribute
to
team
development
and
The post holder is required to be aware of risks in the working environment and to
ensure compliance with relevant Health and Safety legislation in all activities.
In compliance with University policy, the post holder will be expected to have a basic
knowledge of the financial and procurement procedures and regulations and will be
required to undertake relevant training / induction to gain this knowledge.
Will be expected to support and adhere to the Faculty's commitment to Equality and
Diversity.
Relationships
The post holder will be responsible on a day to day basis to the project lead (Dr Lucy
Stead) and group leader (Prof Susan Short), through whom they will be accountable to
the Head of the Section (Prof Alan Melcher), the Director of the Leeds Institute of
Cancer and Pathology (Prof Tim Bishop) and also to the Dean of the Faculty of
Medicine and Health (Prof Paul Stewart).
University Values
All staff are expected to operate in line with the university’s values and standards, which
work as an integral part of our strategy and set out the principles of how we work together.
More information about the university’s strategy and values is available at
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/comms/strategy/
Person Specification
Essential
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First degree or equivalent qualification in biological science
Several years’ experience in a research/clinical laboratory
Ability to work autonomously with supervision commensurate with grade.
Substantial experience in Molecular biology techniques (eg processing of tissue
into single cell solutions, flow cytometry, next-generation sequencing, PCR)
Demonstrable experience managing successful research projects from planning
through to evaluation
Previous experience conducting literature reviews.
Excellent problem solving skills including experience solving scientific problems.
Good IT skills (word, PowerPoint, excel, statistics package)
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage time effectively and
meet project milestones.
Effective communication skills including previous experience presenting
research to technical and non-technical specialist and report writing skills.
Working knowledge of Health and Safety requirements for the laboratory
setting
Demonstrable evidence of maintaining accuracy and attention to detail
Demonstrable ability to analyse and critically appraise laboratory data in a
presentable format.
Demonstrable ability to formalise experimental design.
Flexibility
Desirable
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Experience with next-generation sequencing library preparation
Experience working with human tissue
Experience in cancer cell biology
Demonstrable working knowledge of human tissue act
Knowledge of research governance issues in cancer research
Previous budget management experience.
Faculty Information
Faculty of Medicine and Health Information
With more than 6,000 students, 1,600 staff and annual research income of £60m, the
Faculty of Medicine and Health at Leeds is bigger than some universities. Leeds has one
of the largest medical and bioscience research bases in the UK, and is an acknowledged
world leader in cancer, cardiovascular, psychiatric, genetic, musculo-skeletal and health
services research. Treatments developed in Leeds are transforming the lives of people
around the world living with conditions such as HIV, TB, diabetes and malaria.
The School of Medicine
The School of Medicine at the University of Leeds is a major international centre for
research and education. Our ambition is to improve health and reduce health inequalities,
locally and globally, through excellent scientific research and the translation of that
research into healthcare practice, and through the education of future scientific and clinical
leaders who will advocate and practise an evidence-based approach. Our major strategic
aims are to:
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Deliver outstanding research including basic discovery science through to applied
health research that makes a significant difference to health.
Produce exceptional graduates, clinicians, educators, doctoral and post-doctoral
fellows whose learning has been informed and inspired by our research excellence
and who will form the next generation of academic and clinical leaders.
Develop and support knowledge transfer activities that flow from our academic
activities.
Create and maintain an efficient and sustainable environment for research and
teaching within an organisational culture and management style that enacts and
supports the university’s core values of community, inclusiveness, integrity and
professionalism.
The School of Medicine is organised into seven Institutes. All are committed to high quality
research-led teaching, through their training of postgraduate research students, delivery of
postgraduate taught courses, and its leadership in undergraduate teaching. The School
works closely with the local NHS, having a number of jointly funded clinical posts to ensure
this relationship is effective and strong for both research and student education.
Terms and Conditions
Details of the terms and conditions of employment for all staff at the university, including
information on pensions and benefits, are available on the Human Resources web pages
accessible via the links on the right hand side, or at http://hr.leeds.ac.uk/policies
Disclosure and Barring Service Checks
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check is not required for this position. However,
applicants who have unspent convictions must indicate this in the ‘other personal details’
section of the application form and send details to the Recruitment Officer
Disabled Applicants
The post is located in the Wellcome Trust Brenner Building, St James’s University
Hospital. Disabled applicants wishing to review access to the building are invited to
contact the department direct. Additional information may be sought from the Recruitment
Officer, email disclosure@leeds.ac.uk or tel + 44 (0)113 343 1723.
Disabled applicants are not obliged to inform employers of their disability but will still be
covered by the Equality Act once their disability becomes known.
Further information for applicants with disabilities, impairments or health
conditions is available in the applicant guidance.