Technician / Sr. Technician in 2D and 3D Tissue Culturing

Job description

APPLICATION CLOSING DATE : February 28th, 2024

About Human Technopole:

Human Technopole (HT) is an interdisciplinary life science research institute, created and supported by the Italian government, with the aim of developing innovative strategies to improve human health. Researchers at HT work together to enable interdisciplinary research and to create an open, collaborative environment that will help promote life science research both nationally and internationally.

At Human Technopole we house a central unit dedicated to facilitating the generation of novel molecular datasets from clinically annotated patient cohorts, and for the development of patient-derived model systems from human samples.

About the position:

In this core unit, we are seeking a Technician for 2D and 3D Tissue Culturing.

The technician will work on culturing and manipulating patient-derived organoid cultures to support the experiments of various research projects at HT.

We are seeking a highly motivated applicant with expertise in tissue culture and patient-derived models. The candidate must have a solid cell biology and molecular biology background, experience with next-generation sequencing and be highly organized and meticulous. Excellent organizational and communication skills are essential. Applicants should have a first degree in biological sciences or equivalent. The candidate will collaborate with other members of HT, including computational scientists and bioinformaticians for the analysis of the data. They will work closely with a diverse team to formulate and validate hypotheses. Eventual genomic profiling of the systems will be supported by the HT National Facility for Genomics, which is equipped with the latest cutting-edge sequencing platforms.

The successful candidate will report to Prof. Andrea Sottoriva, who is also the Head of the Computational Biology Research Centre.

Key tasks and responsibilities

• Conducting experiments in cell biology, with strong emphasis on development, optimization and application of protocols for organoid cultures applied to human normal and tumour cells.
• Applying, generating, and optimizing protocols for human organoid cultures.
• Maintaining organoid lines generated in the lab and ensuring that all primary human material is stored and processed according to the health and safety and ethics committee guidance.

• Performing meticulous sample tracking, storing and QC.
• Generating reliable data for publication in the projects to which they are assigned and recording all data and results in specified forms.
• Working with the HT National Facility for Genomics for sample profiling, if required.
• Helping with genomic library preparation, if required.
• Providing technical support and supervision to other laboratory members, including introduction and teaching of new laboratory techniques and support of the use of lab equipment.
• Liaising with the Lab Manager and other staff to write risk assessments and ensure that they are regularly updated.

Job requirements

Essential requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject, e.g., molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, or in a related field of the life sciences (obtained within 3 months from closing of the call).
• Considerable experience in laboratories involved in the areas of main responsibilities.
• Fluency in English – HT is an international research institute.

Preferential requirements:

• Documented hands-on experience with the application of cutting-edge methods in molecular biology, and cell biology, including human organoids culture, handling human blood material, experience in human tissue processing, histology and immunohistochemistry.
• Experience in nucleic acid extraction and QC.
• Proficiency in meticulously preparing reagents for cell lines.
• Experience in sample preparation and tracking, specifically human tissues.
• Experience with genomic techniques, transfection and knockdown experiments (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, siRNA, shRNA, antisense and similar technologies) would be advantageous.
• Experience with handling large-scale project would be considered advantageous.

Organizational and social skills:

• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment and to work independently.
• Excellent organization and communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating by the ability to lead and gain the assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavor.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Application Instructions

Please apply by sending:

i) a CV;

ii) a motivation letter in English;

iii) names and contacts of 2 referees.

For any inquiry about the call, please feel free to contact Prof Andrea Sottoriva at [email protected] (this email address should not be used to send applications).

Why Human Technopole

HT seeks scientific excellence, we recruit the best scientific talents through international, open calls.

Our working environment is international, friendly and inclusive. Our scientists work together across disciplines on research topics of biomedical relevance, leveraging synergies between their diverse skillsets and methodological approaches.

We believe that highly diverse teams yield the best and most innovative results.

We engage in outward-facing scientific activities aimed at benefiting the national and international research community. Training is also at the heart of our activity, with initiatives and opportunities for our staff, including scientific courses, conferences and workshops.

Main benefits

• Welfare plans.
• Canteen service.
• Work-life balance provisions.
• Italian language training for foreigners.
• Maternity leave up to 1 year and other support for new parents.
• Counselling.
• Possibility of flexible working hours
• Support for relocation.
• Tax benefits where applicable.

Special consideration will be given to candidates who are part of the protected categories list, according to L. 68/99.

Number of positions offered: 1

Contract offered: CCNL Chimico Farmaceutico, contract duration to be determined – employee level.

The position is based in Milan.

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