Research Assistant

UE06: £34,610 – £39,906 per annum

CMVM / School of Genetics and Cancer

Full Time: 35 hours per week

Fixed term: 6 months (7th September 2026 – 31st March 2027)

The Opportunity:

Together we can do great things. Be part of something bigger. 

Here, you can continue to make a difference in everything around you. Take on new challenges, grow your career, be recognised for your contributions, and benefit from our commitment to your wellbeing. Be part of something bigger — where your work has real impact and your development matters. There are so many reasons to take your next step with us.

Our technical staff are essential to supporting our ground-breaking research, your work will have a lasting impact that stretches far beyond our academic community. 

Our research is trying to find out how the body makes sure that parents pass the right number of chromosomes on to their children. Mistakes in this process are very common in humans and cause miscarriage, infertility, and Down's Syndrome. The postholder will prepare tissue and chromosomes from embryonic stem cells or mice carrying mutations in genes that affect chromosome pairing and segregation and analyse these samples using histology, immunostaining and in situ hybridisation to work out how these genes work.

People have always been at the heart of our work. Our people are at the centre of the University community and everything we do. We value colleagues with drive, determination and a passion for what they do. We are a place where everyone is welcome and offer a range of policies and benefits designed to support you in building the right meaningful flexibility that works for you.

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle: 

• Leading-edge research
• Working within one of the world’s leading universities
• Responsibility and autonomy

This post is full time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns.

View the full Job Description (opens in a new browser tab) 

How to apply

Please include the following documents in your application:

- CV

- Cover letter

As a valued member of our team, you can expect: 

• A competitive salary. 
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. 
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits. 

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality. 
 

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates.
 

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)

On this occasion the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship for this role. International workers will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 31 August 2026.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.