Research Assistant

THIS ROLE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS.

Do you have experience of securing employer involvement in universities, preferably in a student environment? Are you passionate about helping young people to build their employability? If so, this role could be perfect for you!

This role will be 3 days a week (Tuesdays in the office) for a duration of 12 months, to provide maternity cover for a team member. We are looking to offer the successful candidate ?21.41 per hour plus holiday pay.

The Internships Coordinator (S&E) will work closely with other Internships Coordinators in building relationships with relevant employers, and placing Science and Engineering Faculty students into internship opportunities. The post holder will be based in the University Careers and Enterprise Employer Engagement team in order to utilise best practice and employer connections, also working closely with colleagues in the Science and Engineering Faculty.

Main duties and responsibilities

Initiating and managing relationships

• Approach businesses and third sector organisations to persuade them to host Science and Engineering students on an internship. Work collaboratively with employers to clarify the scope and structure of their placement projects, providing advice on appropriate student projects when needed.   
• Sustain mutually beneficial relationships with all placement stakeholders (hosts, students, colleagues). 
• Create and coordinate student publicity and marketing material.
• Work closely with all other staff involved in placement activity across the Careers and Enterprise team, to maximise productivity and capitalise on all opportunities.  
• Work collaboratively with Careers Consultants for the promotion of opportunities to students.

Student support  

• Build positive working relationships with participating students and provide support and signposting when needed.  
• Lead placement programme introduction and coaching sessions with students where appropriate.  
   

Data collection & analysis  

• Undertake data collection, such as surveys, to track participant employment outcomes and skills growth.   
• Analyse data and findings and contribute to stakeholder and quality assurance reports and the development of case studies. 
• Monitor quality of placement opportunities and provide data for quality assurance and funder reports. 
• Evaluate and continuously improve placement opportunities; examining student, stakeholder and employer feedback to identify and fill gaps in provision. 
   

Coordination & administration  

• Use the Careers service web platform to advertise internship opportunities, shortlist applicants and pull relevant data when needed.
• Coordinate placement delivery, including the recruitment of students into internships.  
• Monitor and help drive progress towards placement targets. 
• Use existing systems, policies and procedures to ensure a professional service to students and employers. 
   

Degree or equivalent professional experience

• Experience of initiating and successfully maintaining stakeholder relationships. 
• Ability or experience to use own understanding of a stakeholders needs to sell a placement or programme in a relevant and appealing way.
• Experience of event organisation and delivery 
• Experience of effectively planning with others to set priorities and schedules for the year and meet deadlines 
• Experience of helping people to build their employability.
• Some experience of evaluating qualitative and quantitative data.
• Experience of creating and updating communication materials.
• Ability to manage multiple relationships e.g. to communicate regularly and diplomatically with all stakeholders (host organisations, students, colleagues). 
• Ability to use own initiative, to recognise and chase new opportunities. 
• Ability to provide empathy and support to students (i.e. interpersonal skills).
• A strong commitment to the values of equality and diversity. 

THIS ROLE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS

About the Role

This post will provide technical support for the Flow Cytometry Service at the Barts Cancer Institute(BCI)/WHRI. 

The post-holder will be responsible for day-to-day operation, maintenance and quality control of cell-sorters/analysers and provide users support at all levels. A collaborative approach is essential to cover duties during colleagues' absences or high-demand periods.

Prior knowledge and hands-on experience with BDFACSAria sorters and analysers, along with a strong understanding of Diva software and multicolour Flow Cytometry principles, are essential. Additional training can be provided if needed.

About You 

You should have a relevant BSc or equivalent, with a strong background in cancer cell biology or immunology, along with the ability to design, conduct, and analyse complex flow cytometry-based cell assays. Knowledge of PBMC preparation, cell, and tissue culture is desirable. The ideal candidate will be detail oriented, motivated to learn, capable of working both independently and as part of a team, with strong organizational skills, effective communication, and a focus on customer service. Prior experience in a flow cytometry core lab is highly desirable.

About the Institute

BCI is a Cancer Research UK Centre of Excellence whose work aims to transform the lives of those with/at risk of cancer through laboratory-based innovative research, in patients and populations. BCI is internationally renowned in many areas of cancer research. It combines ground-breaking basic research with the expertise of clinicians and scientists from the Centre for Experimental Cancer Medicine and the Barts NHS Trust to achieve improvements in cancer patient care. BCI is also a partner in the CRUK City of London Major Centre, which is a Centre of Excellence in Biotherapeutics. It?s one of six institutes within The School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Further information on the responsibilities will be provided upon shortlisting. 

BSc or equivalent in relevant subject

EXPERIENCE

• Experience in the operation of flow cytometers
• Experience in cell sorting 
• Experience in other biochemical techniques 
• Experience with statistical analysis (Desirable)
• Experience of working in a biomedical research laboratory
• Experience with computer software relevant to laboratory research, data presentation and statistical evaluation of results
• Knowledge of the principles of flow cytometry 
• Experience of working in a core service laboratory (Desirable)
• Experience in multiparameter (>10) cell sorting and cytometric analysis, on a variety of cytometers
• Experience with Liquid and Imaging mass cytometry (Desirable)
• Experience with Imaging Flow cytometry (Desirable)
• Experience with Spectral Flow cytometry (Desirable)
• Knowledge of flow cytometry analysis software

SKILLS

• Ability to follow written and oral instructions
• Ability to maintain accurate and up to date records
• Understanding of the research process
• Ability to organise and prioritise own work and organise research within the project timetable 
• Computer literacy
• Evidence of good team-working
• Good communication skills
• Analytical skills 
• Experience with data analysis and presentation 
• Flexible and co-operative 
• Self-motivated and hardworking
• Willingness to work flexibly in order to achieve project demands    
• Willingness to learn new skills     
• *The ability to meet UK ?right to work? requirements. 
  
   

The Queen Mary Academy is seeking 10 interns to take part in our Learner Intern Programme (LIP). This is open to current QMUL students only. 

This is an exciting opportunity to work on student-voice projects that support innovative, evidence-based education practices.

Projects might include topics like:

• AI & employability
• Awarding and attainment gaps
• Learner Engagement Analytics
• Sustainability   

Each intern will work with the Queen Mary Academy and academic partners and be expected to work collaboratively to conduct research. Findings will be shared internally and externally through publication and presentations. Training will be provided in the relevant skills required to complete these projects. There are opportunities within the projects to develop skills in research methods, communication, and project management and delivery.

Each intern position is assigned 80 hours. Successful candidates will be expected to complete these hours (approximately 4 hours per week during term time) between November 2024 and June 2025. This role will be paying 13.99 per hour plus holiday pay to the successful candidates.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in literature reviews to gather relevant information and background for projects.
• Participate in the design and implementation of data collection methods.
• Collaborate with project leads to conduct data analysis
• Contribute to the preparation of research reports, presentations, and other final outputs.
• Attend LIP meetings to actively engage in the exchange of ideas.

Must be currently enrolled as a QMUL student

• Current enrolment as a Queen Mary student
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Excellent organizational skills
• Comfortable using common software tools, such as Microsoft Office
• Enthusiasm for learning and willingness to take on new challenges
• Have an understanding of research methods

If interested, please ensure your CV is uploaded to your profile (via My Documents), and submit a cover letter addressed to Catherine Hunt in your application.