University of Edinburgh Information Services Group
Postgraduate Research Assistant
Grade UE06: £34,610 - £39,906 per annum, pro rata if part-time
School of Neurological and Cardiovascular Sciences / Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences
Full-time: 35 hours per week
Fixed-term: up to 36 months with satisfactory progress (not beyond 13 November 2029)
Where Discovery Never Stops - Be part of Something Bigger.
We offer careers and roles in just about every area you can think of. Whether you’re looking to take the next step in your current specialism, explore a new challenge, or broaden your experience, we offer opportunities where you can flourish and make a real difference. Our people come from a wide range of backgrounds, each bringing their abilities and experiences to our organisation, helping us thrive and innovate together.
The University isn’t just any employer. We are part of a local community and a contributor to global thinking, progress and research. In Edinburgh, you are in one of the world’s most attractive cities with active arts and social sectors, while working in a University that has made significant contributions to society, medicine, physics and teaching for over four centuries. Our people have helped create the modern world and are working on more ground-breaking technologies and practices.
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.
The Opportunity:
Our technical staff are essential to supporting research, and the smooth operation of our facilities. Whether you're maintaining cutting-edge lab equipment, facilitating ground-breaking research, developing new techniques, or enhancing student and staff experience with top-notch facilities, your work will have a lasting impact that stretches far beyond our academic community.
The Role
The complexity of the human brain makes understanding nervous system diseases challenging. Cultures of single human cell types and rodent models do not fully capture the complexity of human brain diseases in the way living human brain tissue does. Working with the group leaders in the UKRI Edinburgh Human Brain Cluster, and senior technicians, you will support the delivery of research, with focus on coordinating, preparing and maintaining the living human brain slice cultures. You will also provide day-to-day laboratory support, including preparation of solutions, collation of data, immunohistochemistry.
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:
- Professional development and subject matter expertise
- Opportunities to develop new skills and broaden your experience
- Leading-edge research
- Working within one of the world’s leading universities
This post is full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns.
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How to apply
Please include the following documents in your application:
- CV – maximum 3 pages
- 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 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.
The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.
Please note if the role is offered on a part-time basis, it may result in sponsorship being dependent on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant or the role no longer meeting the Home Office’s criteria for sponsorship.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is 5th August 2026.
Unless stated otherwise, the closing time for applications is 11:59 pm (UK time). If you are applying from outside the UK, the closing time shown on our adverts will automatically adjust to your browser’s local time zone.
About UsAs 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 TeamSchool of Neurological and Cardiovascular SciencesOur institute fosters collaborative neuroscience, cardiovascular, metabolic and psychiatric research to tackle some of the world's most significant health challenges.
Our research explores health and disease across the body and life course – from tiny changes in cells to the lived experience of patients. Together, we work to advance the understanding, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of major health conditions including heart disease, stroke, metabolic dysfunction, mental illness, dementia and neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Empowered by genetics, advanced imaging, artificial intelligence and clinical trials, our research seamlessly connects discovery science with clinical care.
Our work is internationally acclaimed, achieving 4* and world-leading classifications for the majority of our research, health and wealth impacts and research papers in the Research Excellence Framework 2021 assessment, the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.
As part of driving progress in our core research areas, we host internationally leading research centres and state-of-the-art technologies:
- Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic
- British Heart Foundation (BHF) Centre of Research Excellence
- Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention | CPSP
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research
- Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility
- Edinburgh Imaging
- Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory
- Medical Research Council/British Hearth Foundation Centre of Research Excellence in Advanced Cardiac Therapies
- MS Society Edinburgh Centre for MS Research | MS Society
- Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre
- Patrick Wild Centre
- Row Fogo Centre for Research into Ageing and the Brain
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB)
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Edinburgh
- UKRI Hub for Metabolic Psychiatry
We offer a wide range of postgraduate training opportunities. Students learn from world-class researchers, access outstanding facilities and get support to develop. Our graduates go on to successful careers in academia, research, healthcare and industry worldwide. Our colleagues are also leading contributors to undergraduate programmes.
