Research Engineer to the Electophysiology Core Facility

Description of the workplace
StemTherapy is a strategic research area at Lund University and conducts both experimental and clinical research in basic, translational and clinical biomedicine. At present, StemTherapy consists of about 50 research groups working with different aspects of stem cell and developmental biology, hematology, neuroscience, development biology, cancer, and other aspects of biomedicine. More information regarding StemTherapy can be found here.

StemTherapy finances several technical research platforms, both consisting of equipment and personnel. These platforms offer services to researchers and research groups who need to use different techniques for specific research projects. The StemTherapy financed research platforms are important for reaching our strategic goals and performing excellent research. Within the technical platforms, as well as in the whole StemTherapy, we find a good working environment with respect and consideration of one another to be extremely important. We are constantly working hard to create the conditions for job satisfaction, development, and participation for all coworkers.

One of these platforms, the Electrophysiology Core Facility, is now looking for a Research Engineer.  

What we offer
Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. Read more on the University’s website about being a Lund University employee, Work at Lund University

Work duties and areas of responsibility
StemTherapy offers funds to finance a position as a research engineer for an electrophysiology Core Facility. As a research engineer in an Electrophysiology platform, you are part of a team with employees from the Stem Cell Centre as well as from MultiPark with whom you collaborate daily. In the position supported by StemTherapy, you are responsible for providing support to various research groups in their specific projects. Your duties mainly include the following elements:

• Meeting research groups to give advice regarding which type of electrophysiological analysis will be best to use to answer specific research questions
• To maintain a workstation for patch-clamp electrophysiology, including all technical parts
• Be responsible for the booking system for the workstation and calculate user fees
• To suggest technical improvements (upgrades the instruments, including adding new functions when needed)
• Prepare slices of fresh brain from rodents and human tissue, cell culture (monolayer and 3D) and brain organoids for electrophysiological registrations and/or stimulation at tissue or single cell level according to the protocol best suited for the project at hand (ethical permits for animal experiments are provided by the research group)
• To perform Multi-Electrode Assay registrations and analyze data for acute tissue slices and organotypic tissue culture, cell culture and organoids according to the protocol best suited for the project
• To analyze those data and present it graphically

Other duties could occur, most likely:

• Instruct PhD students and postdocs who have relevant experience and would like to use the platform
• Take part in scientific meetings and other events organized by the Stem Cell Center
• To order and arrange payment for all consumables and supplies/services needed for the proper functioning of the facility
• To provide accurate recordings of the use of the facilities and services for each project and provide respective financial reports for issuing invoices

Qualification requirements
Requirements are:

• PhD and/or Post-doctoral training in neuroscience, with a major part being electrophysiological methods or in an electrophysiological area with a strong direction towards neuroscience
• Several years of experience in patch-clamp electrophysiology done on cell culture and slice preparations
• Several years of experience in multi-electrode array (MEA) Technical and theoretical knowledge of how ion channels and synaptic influx will contribute to the electrophysiological properties of nerve cells
• Very good knowledge of using suitable software and methods for analyzing and extracting relevant electrophysiological data from the registered signals
• Experience with microscope techniques
• Willing to work with rodents and human tissue/cells for scientific purposes

Emphasis will be held at personal suitability. Personal characteristics such as easily collaborating with others, being flexible and service-minded, capable of solving technical difficulties when needed, and being well organized (able to approximate how long time something will take and keep to the schedule) is required for the position.

Additional qualifications for the position are:

• Experience with imaging techniques on slice, tissue, and cell culture samples such as calcium imaging
• Experience in different techniques for programming
• Experience in patch-clamp recordings from human tissue cultures
• Knowledge of optogenetics on slice, tissue, and cell culture preparations
• Capability to work with people with different backgrounds
• Capability to work under the time pressure

Further information
The employment is a full time (100%) permanent position. Start date is April 1, 2025, or according to agreement.

How to apply
You apply for the position via the University’s recruitment system. The application is to include a personal letter describing how you meet the qualification requirements and why you are interested in the position. The application is also to include a CV with a list of publications, a general description of previous research and any other documents to which you wish to draw attention (copies of degree certificates, grade transcripts, details of referees, letters of recommendation, etc.)