Research Technician

The role

The University of Bristol is seeking to hire a motivated Research Technician to support a research project on the formation and function of mouse brain circuits. The collaborative project will be supervised by Dr Paul Anastasiades, Dr Emma Cahill and Dr Paul Chadderton. The study will combine a cutting-edge range of transgenic and viral tools, subcellular optogenetics, slice electrophysiology, and rodent behaviour in tandem with machine-learning based behavioural tracking and in vivo neural dynamics.

You will support the project by undertaking colony management, stereotaxic surgery, histological sectioning, assisting with behavioural experiments and general administrative tasks.

The role is part of a recently funded BBSRC grant to study how prefrontal cortex circuits are altered in a mouse model of autism. You will join a dynamic, international team located in the newly formed School of Psychology and Neuroscience, with close ties to other circuit, systems and computational neuroscience labs at the University of Bristol.

The project is part of wider efforts within the Anastasiades lab to understand the mechanisms of cortical circuit formation in health and disease. The study is motivated by emerging evidence linking the cerebellum to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and expands upon our exciting preliminary data and recent published work into the development and organisation of the prefrontal cortex, including how it changes in neurodevelopmental disorders.

More information about the lab can be found at our website

Bristol is an exciting and vibrant city with an international airport and easy rail connections to cities such as Oxford, Bath and London. It is surrounded by natural beauty with the coast of Devon, Cornwall and South Wales nearby and the Cotswolds just next door.

What will you be doing?

You will support the postdoc working on the project and will be responsible for helping ensure the project runs efficiently. Key tasks include, colony management and laboratory ordering, stereotaxic surgery, behavioural experiments, brain histology. You should be able to work independently, but also as part of a wider team. In particular, you will work closely with the postdoc on this project.

You should apply if

You have:

• A good understanding of biology, good communication and organisational skills, attention to detail, and desire to work in a dynamic, collaborative and supportive team.
• Experience working in a neuroscience laboratory or related discipline is highly desirable.
• Previous experience with stereotaxic surgery, histology or behavioural analysis are beneficial, but not essential.

Additional information

Contract type: Open-ended (with fixed funding from 05/01/27 - 31/08/29)

Work pattern: Full-time (35 hours per week)

Grade: F

Salary: £29,354 - £32,722 per annum

School/Unit: School of Psychology and Neuroscience

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Thursday 5th November 2026

Interested candidates are advised to contact Dr Paul Anastasiades, Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience via email: [email protected] for informal discussions about the project prior to applying.

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