Research Assistant

Salary: £34,630 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 09 November 2026

The Role

We are excited to launch this new opportunity for a Research Assistant in Musculoskeletal Genetics to join us in the Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences’. You will join a diverse community of colleagues based in Newcastle in our state-of-the-art Centre for Life building, equipped with cutting edge technologies and world expertise in genetics and connective tissue disorders. This project aims to optimise nanoparticle-based delivery of small RNA molecules to articular cartilage for therapeutic interventions in osteoarthritis and cartilage degenerative diseases. In this role you will be responsible for tissue culture experiments, management of the animal colonies on the project as well as for cataloguing and analysing samples, including sample randomisation, histology staining, sample scoring and statistical analysis.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of Research Innovation Role Profiles.pdf. These profiles set out firstly the generic competencies and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and, secondly, the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/

Find out more about our Research Institutes: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

Contact for the post is [email protected]

The post is full time, fixed term until 31/03/2027

Key Accountabilities

• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books)
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Home Office licence (PIL AB)
• Knowledge of cartilage biology and disease
• Experience of animal work, including colony management, surgical assistance, and phenotyping of animal models of disease
• Knowledge of connective tissue histology techniques
• Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
• Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences
• Proven ability to analyse data and write-up results
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
• Excellent IT skills in all major office applications
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems

Attributes and Behaviour

• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity

Qualifications

• Honours degree or a Masters degree in a relevant discipline (Applied Biology, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Biomedicine)

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a GoldAthena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 29873