Laboratory Technician - Generative Biology Institute

Description

At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we're on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity's greatest challenges in four transformative areas:

• Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
• Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
• Climate Change & Managing CO₂
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

This is ambitious work - work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you'll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society. Explore more at .

Welcome to the Generative Biology Institute:

Led by Founding Director Jason Chin, the Generative Biology Institute (GBI) at the Ellison Institute of Technology is tackling the key challenges in making biology engineerable, and thereby unlocking the unrivalled power of biology for the benefit of humanity.

The vision of the GBI is to lay the foundations for engineering biology, and unlock its potential for good. To achieve this, we must overcome two key challenges. First, we need the ability to write in the natural language of biology, enabling the rapid and scalable synthesis of entire genomes with precision. Second, we must understand what to write - determining which DNA sequences will generate biological systems that perform the desired functions. Addressing these challenges will allow us to harness the full power of biology to create transformative solutions across health, agriculture, clean energy and more.

GBI will have sustained and substantial funding to support the unique scale and ambition of its ground-breaking vision for engineering biology. GBI researchers will also be supported by cutting-edge technology hubs including mass spectrometry, flow cytometry, sequencing, automation, imaging, and bioprocessing. GBI will also have access to substantial compute resources that can be leveraged to further accelerate progress, including scientific compute, bioinformatics, and machine learning. The environment at GBI will allow researchers to undertake ambitious, long-term, collaborative research, and we will actively support the translation of research to commercial applications, where appropriate.

The Generative Biology Institute commenced operations in 2025, occupying newly renovated bespoke space in the Oxford Science Park. The team will later move to a purpose-made facility in the Oxford Science Park, currently under construction. Once complete, this state-of-the-art facility will include more than 40,000 m² of research laboratory and office space. It will house over 30 groups and up to 600 employees at scale, focused on solving the two critical challenges in making biology engineerable and applying the solutions to addressing the global challenges encapsulated in EIT's Humane Endeavors.

Your Role:

At EIT we are seeking an experienced and detail orientated Laboratory Technician to support the smooth, safe, and efficient operation of our laboratories as part of the Lab Operations team. The Laboratory Technician will be responsible for a wide range of day-to-day operational duties, including managing scientific waste, maintaining stock and inventory systems, receiving and distributing deliveries, supporting laboratory asset management, and helping ensure shared laboratory spaces and equipment remain organised, compliant, and ready for use.The role will also involve providing responsive support to researchers, helping to resolve operational issues efficiently, and supporting new researchers and research groups as they become established in the labs.

Your contributions will directly support the success of research projects by reducing downtime, improving the reliability of laboratory operations, and enabling scientists to focus on their work. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is methodical, reliable, practical, and organised, with strong communication skills and a proactive approach to improving laboratory systems, processes, and the overall researcher experience.

Key Responsibilities:

Laboratory Operations & Core Services

• Ensure the laboratory is clean, safe, well-organised, and fully operational.
• Support day-to-day lab operations, including deliveries, stock replenishment, waste handling, LN2 support, and general lab readiness.
• Carry out regular checks of laboratory spaces, shared equipment, consumables, and core operational services.

Inventory, Stock & Asset Management

• Monitor and manage consumables, reagents, and shared stock levels.
• Receive, log, store, and distribute deliveries in a timely and organised manner.
• Maintain accurate inventory and asset records, including equipment location, status, and availability.
• Support stock-level systems, asset tagging, storage visibility, and ordering processes.

Waste, Safety & Compliance

• Manage laboratory waste streams safely and in line with health and safety requirements.
• Adhere to laboratory safety protocols, including PPE, COSHH, SOPs, and safe handling of hazardous materials.
• Support audits, inspections, safety checks, incident reporting, and corrective actions.
• Help promote a safe, organised, and compliant laboratory environment.

Researcher Support & Lab Readiness

• Provide responsive, professional day-to-day support to researchers and the wider lab team.
• Act on operational requests or tickets promptly, communicating clearly through to resolution or escalation.
• Support preparation of lab spaces, equipment, consumables, and storage areas for new researchers or groups.
• Assist with lab inductions, tours, and explanation of core operational procedures.

Process Improvement & General Support

• Identify recurring operational issues and contribute to practical improvements.
• Support scalable Lab Operations processes as GBI grows.
• Contribute to sustainability and efficiency initiatives, including bulk purchasing, waste reduction, recycling, and space optimisation.
• Undertake additional duties as required by the Lab Manager, Group Leader, or wider Lab Operations team.

Requirements

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• A degree or equivalent qualification in a scientific discipline (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related field) OR relevant laboratory experience.
• Previous hands-on experience in a laboratory environment.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to interact clearly and professionally with scientists and other members of the team.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to maintaining high standards of cleanliness and safety.
• Comfortable with lifting and moving supplies and waste, as well as standing for extended periods.

Desirable:

• Experience with stock or inventory systems.
• Familiarity with health and safety regulations in laboratory settings, including COSHH, waste segregation and handling of biological materials.

Benefits

Our Benefits:

• Travel allowance
• Bonus
• Enhanced holiday pay
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box
• Electric Car Scheme

Working Together - What It Involves:

• You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary.
• You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford (or be willing to relocate).
• This a fully onsite role