Student Support Worker for Lab Assistance

Provision of the administrative processes for the Bachelor in Medicine/Bachelor in Surgery, in particular years 3 and 4 of the programme

Act as a key contact for all enquiries relating to the relevant programmes.

Ensuring the smooth running of the relevant programmes on a day to day basis

Maintaining accurate records of student progression, including EC submissions; any other

relevant information which will be required for Subject Exam Boards.

Acting as secretary to the Academic Leads Meetings, including sending out agenda &

associated paperwork, minute taking, distribution of action points.

Supporting the work of the wider Curriculum Operation Unit, including contributing to the

provision of cover.

GCSE/O Level (Grade C or above) or equivalent in English and Maths

Educated to A Level (Grade C or above) or equivalent

(Desirable) Degree or equivalent, or equivalent attainment through experience

Experience of working as an administrator in a Higher Education Office environment

(preferably health care related)

A successful track record in working with colleagues at all levels, including senior staff and

external contacts

A good understanding of the annual cycle of administration within a Higher Education

environment

Experience of working with a variety of databases (ideally SITS)

Awareness and understanding of the current issues within Higher Education, particularly in

health care disciplines

Excellent organisational skills

Excellent IT skills, including spreadsheets, email, word processing and database

management (Microsoft Office)

Excellent written, verbal and numeracy skills

Accuracy and attention to detail

Ability to prioritise a varied workload and meet tight deadlines

Ability to deal with students in a supportive, friendly, and professional manner

A good understanding of student records and GDPR

Climate litigation is rapidly becoming a global phenomenon, placing courts as essential players in climate governance to advance and protect human rights. Climate litigation in the Global South, in particular, is an essential tool to address heightened vulnerability and protect human rights. Given this growing trend, since 2021 the GNHRE project, "Climate Litigation in the Global South", has been collaborating with scholars from the Global South and beyond to produce novel research that amplifies Global South perspectives and experiences of climate action in the courts. The project team is currently developing an edited volume to be published by Routledge titled Climate Litigation and Vulnerabilities: Global South Perspectives, featuring contributions on litigation strategy, indigenous peoples’ struggles for climate justice, and women and children as vulnerable groups. The contributions are primarily by emerging scholars from the Global South. The first draft manuscript is due for submission at the end of June 2024. As such, most chapters are currently being finalised following internal review or undergoing external anonymous peer review.

A research assistant is required to work with the project leaders from 1 April until 31 December 2024 on the following tasks:

• Supporting the peer review process, including engaging with reviewers and authors, ensuring a peer-review tracking sheet is maintained and updated, etc.;


• Indexing (reviewing chapters and compiling and index of relevant words);


• Proof-reading chapters and ensuring compliance with OSCOLA style and Routledge’s formatting and style requirements;


• Assisting with the preparation of an annotated bibliography to support research related to the project;


• Proof-reading the full manuscript once page-proofs are prepared by the publisher;


• Assisting with arrangements for events planned in July and October 2024.

An LLM in Environmental Law, comparative study and knowledge of climate litigation in various jurisdictions will be an advantage;

Editorial experience

Experience of OSCOLA’s referencing style

Strong communication skills

Ability to comprehend complex situations quickly and provide creative solutions where appropriate

Ability to balance competing priorities under pressure of deadlines and workload

Experience of project, or event planning and implementation

Dementia is the greatest health challenge of our century.

To date there is no way to prevent it or even slow its progression, and there is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause it.

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative driving forward research to fill this gap.

We are a globally leading multidisciplinary research institute of 700 staff investigating the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders causing dementia, with laboratory-based research groups located at University College London, the University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, Edinburgh University, Imperial College London and King’s College London.

Centre context

King’s 

Researchers at the UK DRI at King’s use innovative approaches to explore the biological mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases. Their goal is to defeat dementia by uncovering vital new knowledge that will lead to the design of smarter diagnostics and effective treatments. The team aim to understand the fundamental biological processes involved in dementia at a molecular level – and to use that knowledge to design new ways to diagnose and treat disease more precisely.

The group of Dr Marc-David Ruepp is seeking an organised and enthusiastic individual for a full-time research assistant position to support their research. This position will involve significant work in molecular cloning, analysis of changes in gene expression by RT-PCR and qPCR, mammalian cell culture, and splicing modulation and thus requires consistency and attention to detail, as well as a willingness for occasional weekend work in the context of cellular work. The post-holder will also provide support for general organisational and technical duties to allow the smooth and efficient running of the lab.

Dr Marc-David Ruepp’s group works on RNA metabolism in health and disease with a specific focus on the two neurodegenerative diseases frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This position will provide valuable research support and contribute to the understanding of ALS/FTD in order to find effective therapeutic strategies.

• Maintenance of cell cell cultures


• Perform molecular biology, biochemistry, and imaging assays


• Maintaining accurate laboratory records


• Manage the ordering of laboratory supplies and equipment


• Liaising with other technical staff to service and maintain stocks and equipment


• Undertake any other reasonable duties that may be requested by Dr Marc-David Ruepp


• Requires flexibility for occasional weekend work

Qualifications

• BSc/MSci in Neuroscience or related discipline

Essential Skills

• Experience in mammalian cell culture


• Experience in molecular biology


• Experience in preparing buffers and media


• Experience in molecular biology: Nucleic acid isolation, RT, qPCR


• Experience in splicing modulation using modified snRNAs


• Experience in C++, Java, R and Graph Pad Prism