Research Associate - School of the Built Environment and Architecture

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; STUDENT APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED DUE TO WORKING HOUR LIMITS. 

• Business, administrative and personal assistant support service to the Vice-Principal:
• Act as a first point of contact for all communication and personal contacts for the Vice-Principal (Research) and manage their shared mailbox. Manage responses to the Vice-Principal's incoming correspondence and telephone calls.
• Manage the Vice-Principal?s diary, update according to changing priorities, liaise and negotiate with all relevant parties.
• Organize meetings, book venues, arrange hospitality, transport and accommodation on behalf of the Vice-Principal and be responsible for the distribution of agenda and supporting papers as required.
• Manage travel itineraries, book travel and accommodation
• Administrative/secretarial service for meetings as required, including preparing agenda papers, minute taking and following up actions as well as inviting and hosting external guests.
• General administration and Office support
  • Support with the production of reports, business papers, spreadsheets, presentations and other documents.
  • Undertake financial administration (including procurement, raising purchase orders and processing expenses claims), ensuring compliance with the financial regulations.
  • Work as part of a small and integrated team to ensure the highest standards of operation in a busy environment under the direction of the Office Manager.
  • Take responsibility with other support staff for activities to enable the smooth running of the Office. This may include: undertaking ad-hoc projects and tasks; processing invoices and other financial administrative duties; collecting post; providing reception cover; monitoring and maintaining adequate office supplies; covering for colleagues who are absent, sometimes at short notice; working collaboratively with the wider Office of the Principal staff, maintaining and sharing relevant knowledge with EA colleagues and the Office Manager as appropriate.

Degree or equivalent relevant experience supporting c-suite executives.

Experience of managing sensitive diary and business management activities in a complex environment at senior executive level.
Able to work independently and proactively on non- routine matters and exercise judgement and decision-making skills in all aspects of work.
Experience of establishing good working relationships with staff and students and with external agencies.
Experience organizing and servicing meetings, including the preparation of papers and taking and transcribing minutes and creating action plans.
Experience organizing complex itineraries and associated documentation for travel in the UK and internationally.
Experience managing budgets, raising purchase orders and forecasting and overseeing expenditure
Experience of working at a senior level in a similar role ideally within the Higher Education sector.

Highly developed interpersonal and organizational skills
Excellent standard of oral and written communication skills in English, with a strong knowledge of grammar, spelling, punctuation and composition.
Excellent analytical skills and high standard of numeracy.
Excellent knowledge of diary and email management systems, and strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications
Ability to produce high quality work with strong attention to detail particularly while under pressure and working to tight deadlines.
Ability to handle difficult situations with tact and sensitivity and to maintain absolute confidentiality when required
Ability to solve problems, take responsibility and think independently and to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
Excellent technology skills including a basic understand of IT hardware and troubleshooting, managing mobile phone service providers and other portable devices
Ability to anticipate requirements of the Vice-Principals and other senior colleagues as required and prioritise diverse and busy workloads without supervision.
Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team covering responsibilities in a proactive and professional manner.

Able and willing to develop a comprehensive understanding of the structure of Queen Mary and the roles of the Principal and Vice- Principals.
Able and willing to develop a clear understanding of Higher Education policy.
Willingness to work flexible hours at short notice on occasion

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.