Science Outreach Assistant

Job title:

Science Outreach Assistant

Company

University of Edinburgh

Job description

Job Description:UE02- £21,978-£22,134Public Engagement, Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, College of Medicine and Veterinary MedicineFull Time- 35 hours per weekFixed Term- Until 31st March 2025We are looking for a recent school, FE college or university leaver to provide scientific technical support for the Roslin Institute’s award-winning Public Engagement with Research (PER) programme. The role is based in the Roslin Institute Public Engagement team at the University of Edinburgh’s Easter Bush Campus, and most of the PER programme is delivered on campus at the Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre (EBSOC), a laboratory space purpose-built for public engagement.The Opportunity:This role is a unique opportunity to support the Roslin Institute’s award-winning PER programme, which aligns with and is supported by strategic research funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. This funding supports research into genes and traits for healthy animals, and prevention and control of infectious diseases, allowing Roslin’s experts to develop the Institute’s overall research themes of sustainable agriculture, controlling diseases and enhancing health.The PER programme includes in-person and online activities for primary, secondary and international schools, FE colleges, adult learners and teachers; as well as events for community groups and the wider public.The job will involve supporting the delivery of up to three activities per week, most of which are based on campus at the Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre ( , a purpose-built engagement laboratory where we deliver a variety of hands-on science workshops to school pupils and the wider public.The job will initially focus on technical and administrative tasks in the Easter Bush Outreach Centre; as you develop in the role you will also be supported to get involved in the delivery of our PER programme.You will need to be interested in science, and enthusiastic about hands-on learning and science engagement. Successful candidates will have basic laboratory skills in biology and/or chemistry and a strong interest in developing these skills further, as well as good all-round communication skills.Your skills and attributes for success:

• Demonstrable interest in biology and/or animal science
• Enthusiastic, reliable and willing to learn new skills
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Experience of high school level laboratory work and basic laboratory skills
• Ability to work in a team and develop good working relationships with colleagues

Click to view a copy of the full (opens new browser tab)How to Apply:Please use the University of Edinburgh’s online application system to apply for the role.We would like you to include a covering letter and a CV (both maximum one side of A4 in length).Please make sure that you tell us:

• How you meet the Essential and Desirable skills and experience listed in the job description
• How working as our Science Outreach Assistant would help you to take the next step on your educational or work journey

All applicants will be required to provide details of two referees, who will be contacted if you are invited to interview. We strongly encourage you to list your current or previous science teacher/lecturer as one of your referees.As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

• A competitive salary of £21,978- £22,134
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our

(opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits.Championing equality, diversity and inclusionThe 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.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 (opens new browser tab).The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. They will only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.Key dates to noteThe closing date for applications is 18 September 2024.Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.Interviews dates TBC and will be held at the Roslin Institute, Easter Bush Campus, EH25 9RGFind out more:Informal enquiries about working hours or any other aspect of the job can be made by contacting the line manager for the post Charis Hogg, Education and Engagement Officer at the Roslin Institute on 0131 6519679 orFurther information about the Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre can be found at and on X (previously known as Twitter)About Us: As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.About the Team:The Roslin Institute is a world-leading centre for animal bioscience research and has a distinctive niche within the UK National Institutes of Bioscience, supported strategically by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The Institute moved to a new £60M state-of-the-art building at the Easter Bush Campus in 2011, which is now occupied by > 670 people including ~ 65 Group Leaders and Career Track Fellows, other research and support staff, students and visitors and ~90 staff from Scotland’s Rural College. The Institute has a vibrant programme of postgraduate research, with 176 PhD students registered at the time of writing. Research at the Institute is organised across three research divisions (Genetics & Genomics, Infection & Immunity and Developmental Biology) and three Institute Strategic Programmes (BBSRC funded from 2017-2022) that integrate many disciplines (Blueprints for Healthy Animals, Control of Infectious Diseases and Improving Animal Productivity & Welfare). Crosscutting themes in Epidemiology and Population Health and in Clinical Sciences link research at the Institute to clinical activities in the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and support the research activities of clinical academic staff. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014), a joint submission from The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The Roslin Institute and Scotland’s Rural College was ranked 1st by research power (volume x quality) in the category of Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science.Over £200M has been invested in physical infrastructure at Easter Bush since 2008, including recently in the National Avian Research Facility and the Charnock Bradley Building, which houses the Roslin Innovation Centre – an incubator space for agritech start-up companies and spin out companies to commercialise the Institute’s intellectual property. Investments continue, as the Institute is a major partner in the new Agri-Tech Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock, which together with the University, funds the construction of a £25 M Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility. The Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, primed by investment from the Gates Foundation and Department for International Development, aims to unlock the genetic potential of farmed animals by dissecting genotype-by-environment interactions to sustainably improve animal productivity in low- and middle-income countries.The Institute’s income exceeds £30M p.a., around 50% of which derives from the BBSRC via strategic and competitive funding. Our focus on improving farming systems, animal productivity and welfare, and the control of animal and zoonotic diseases is key to delivery of the BBSRC’s strategic priorities for Agriculture & Food Security, Veterinary Vaccinology and Bioscience for Health. This research is expedited by extensive interactions with industry, including via ongoing platform agreements with major animal breeding and pharmaceutical companies. The addition of our own £15M equity-funded commercialisation vehicle, Roslin Technologies Ltd, will accelerate translation of research at the Institute in the years to come. The Institute holds a prestigious Athena SWAN Gold award in recognition of our commitment to advance the representation of women in science.Further details of the research conducted at the Institute can be found at https://www.ed.ac.uk/roslin

Expected salary

£21978 – 22134 per year

Location

Edinburgh – Midlothian

Job date

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 04:14:40 GMT

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