Technical operations
The Technical Operations team provides support for activities across all three schools of the Faculty of Biological Sciences; School of Biology, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, and School of Biomedical Sciences.
This covers all areas of teaching, research, and infrastructure.
With over 70 members of technical staff, from apprentice technicians to highly skilled and specialist technical support, our technical team provide a variety of expertise and intellectual input that enhances the teaching and research capabilities of our faculty.
Operations and Services
Our technicians enable world-class teaching and research by:
• Managing our cutting-edge teaching and research facilities, including the Plant Growth Facilities, National Pig Centre, and containment labs up to biosafety level 3
• Providing expertise on advanced biochemical, cellular and molecular techniques and imaging approaches, such as Electron Microscopy, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.
• Generating data for research papers and funding applications, such as carrying out qPCR analysis for a project on long covid, and 3D scanning of insects
• Contributing to and delivering on values-led university projects, such as the sustainability engagement framework Blueprint.
We also have technicians fully funded on research grants relating to our key research areas; cancer and cell signalling, infectious disease, cardiovascular disease, neuroscience and behaviour, sustainable ecosystems and adaptation, future agri-systems, plant sciences, organismal health and development, and protein structure, stability and dynamics.
Meet our team
If you’d like support from our technician community, please reach out to the team using the following email address: fbslab@leeds.ac.uk.
Initiatives
The faculty delivers a range of initiatives which support technicians throughout their careers. These include:
Technician’s Network
The Technicians Network aims to support the technical community through regular networking activities, news articles and regular communications.
If you’re a Technician at Leeds, you’re welcome to join the University’s Technicians Network Team channel.
Technician’s Commitment
In 2018, the University pledged to support the Technician Commitment for any technical staff member based in faculties.
The Technician Commitment is a university and research institution initiative, that aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.
As a faculty, our staff help deliver the Technician Commitment by supporting the University action plan. You can read more about the action plan and achievements so far on the University’s Technician Commitment webpages.
Yorkshire Technician Exchange Partnership
The Yorkshire Technicians Exchange Partnership (YoTEP) started as a skills-sharing program between the University of Leeds and the University of York that allowed technicians to connect and share knowledge.
During the initial pilot, 27 technicians, including technicians from Plant Sciences, participated in exchanges. As a result of the project, technicians felt greater confidence to request training, forge new links for themselves and take ownership of different aspects of their career development.
My YoTEP visit has had a very positive impact on my research. I learned new techniques and was provided with support and information. The opportunities that the YoTEP programme provides are invaluable.
Both universities pledged to continue funding the project after the initial pilot.
Since then, the programme has extended to 6 universities in the Yorkshire region which has led to further opportunities for skills and knowledge sharing.
Join us
Interested in joining our technician community? Find current job vacancies on the University’s Technical Support webpage.