Technician (Engineering Biology) at The University of Manchester

Overall Purpose of the Job

The University of Manchester (www.manchester.ac.uk) is one of the largest single-site universities in the UK, with one of the biggest student communities. In total, 25 Nobel Prize winners have worked or studied here and 93% of our research was ranked as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ by the Research Excellence Framework in 2021. Furthermore more than nine out of ten of our recent graduates go straight into employment or continued studies. The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) comprises two multi-discipline Schools; the School of Engineering and the School of Natural Sciences, each led by a Head of School and Head of School Operations. The School of Engineering is made up of five academic departments and the School of Natural Sciences is made up of five academic departments. For more information please visit https://www.se.manchester.ac.uk/.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and proactive Technician in Engineering Biology to join our dynamic technical operations team, which strives to provide a sector leading technical support for FSE and the wider University. With a commitment to customer service excellence and a passion for science and engineering, Research Technician in Engineering Biology will provide an agile technical support service to staff and students to support teaching, research and professional services. FSE’s research and teaching quality is recognised globally; this is an exciting opportunity to join us in Manchester and contribute to the provision of a sector leading technical service.

This position forms parts of Sustainable Biotechnology lab, being led by Professor Neil Dixon, located within the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) a unique cross-disciplinary research institute at the University of Manchester, which brings together more than 450 researchers with expertise in the foundational sciences supporting Synthetic Biology, including molecular biology, chemistry, engineering, materials science, computer science and medicine

Global supply chains are dominated by linear, carbon positive, economic models; extract, use, dispose, which creates unsustainable systems reliant on finite geological reserves. The engineering of biological systems and processes can provide solutions and contribute to addressing the need for greater sustainability, by facilitating the shift towards circular bio-based economic models. Synthetic biology and metabolic engineering offer methods to develop new biosynthetic routes and hosts for the production of chemicals, biopolymers and fuels. As such we can reduce our reliance on petrol-chemical based feedstocks by providing new sustainable production routes for drop-in polymer precursors and new chemical entities with advanced properties.

We are now seeking to recruit a skilled Technician to join the team with a good understanding and practical experience of advanced synthetic/engineering biology, and microbiology.

What you will get in return:

• Fantastic market leading Pension scheme
• Excellent employee health and wellbeing services including an Employee Assistance Programme
• Exceptional starting annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays
• Additional paid closure over the Christmas period
• Local and national discounts at a range of major retailers