Research Technician Working On The Genetic Basis of

**The Institute**

The Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) is an international biomedical research institute of excellence, based in Barcelona, Spain, with more than 400 scientists from 44 countries. The CRG is composed by an interdisciplinary, motivated and creative scientific team which is supported both by a flexible and efficient administration and by high-end and innovative technologies.

In April 2021, the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) received the renewal of the 'HR Excellence in Research' Award from the European Commission. This is a recognition of the Institute's commitment to developing an HR Strategy for Researchers, designed to bring the practices and procedures in line with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (Charter and Code).

Please, check out our Recruitment Policy

**The role**

The position provides an opportunity to play a central role in the experimental work of our team. We are looking for a Research Technician to carry out a mouse experiment that is central to our line of research on Indirect Genetic Effects. In this experiment we investigate the mechanisms (behavioural and otherwise) whereby the genotype of one mouse influences several phenotypes of the other mouse in the cage (see doi: 10.1186/s13059-021-02415-x for background on the project).

You will be the main person in charge of that experiment and will work under the direct supervision of the group leader. You will work with a PhD student in the lab, who will also contribute to the experiment and will use the data for part of his PhD project. Finally, you will be supported by other experienced technicians from the animal facility.

Your duties will include maintaining five mouse lines, ensuring the welfare of the animals, carrying out video-recorded behavioural assays and watching these videos to label behaviours using appropriate software, extracting relevant tissues (brain, ears ) and analysing ear punches with ImageJ.

In addition, you will be responsible for the following tasks related to the experiment: ordering equipment and consumables, managing lab waste, defrosting the freezers and keeping samples in them orderly.

**About the team**

The team consists of computational and experimental scientists working in the field of quantitative genetics. We investigate 1) genetic effects arising from the genes of social partners (Indirect Genetic Effects) and 2) host/microbiome interactions.

We are a diverse team and support the development of each one of our team members through regular meetings (as a group and with the group leader) focused on professional development. We also encourage attendance to the many excellent courses offered by the CRG, the PRBB, etc. (both for technical and soft skills).

**Whom** would we like to hire?**

**Professional experience**

**Must Have**
- You have 5-10 years of experience working with laboratory mice
- You have proven experience maintaining mouse colonies
- You have proven experience documenting data/keeping records in relatively large experiments (e.g. records of mouse colonies)

**Desirable but not required/ Nice to **have**
- Experience running behavioural assays
- Experience collecting brain samples
- Experience analysing experimental data using basic techniques (e.g. Excel, or ImageJ, or any other software)

**Education and training**
- Bachelor's degree in a biology-related area
- Basic knowledge in genetics
- Basic knowledge in experimental psychology /animal behaviour
- Must have: currently valid accreditation to carry out animal research functions a, b and c with laboratory mice

**Languages**
- You are fluent in English
- Proficiency in Spanish would be a plus

**Technical skills**
- Maintaining a mouse colony (must have)
- Monitoring and ensuring animal welfare (must have)
- Running behavioural assays (would be a plus)
- Extracting relevant tissues, in particular brain (would be a plus)
- Proficiency with Excel (must have)
- Keeping thorough and accurate records of animals/data (must have)

**Competences**
- Excellent project management skills: planning the schedule of experiments, problem solving, keeping detailed and accurate records, organising samples
- Good time management skills
- Ability to work in a systematic/reproducible manner: following protocols closely, paying attention to detail
- Good communication skills, both orally and in written form (protocols/data/results presented clearly) and an interest in developing them together with the team

**The Offer** - Working Conditions**
- **Contract d**uration**: Open-ended contract linked to the project duration, estimated 2 years
- **Estimated annual gross salary**:Salary is commensurate with qualifications and consistent with our pay scales
- **Target s**tart date**: as soon as possible

We provide a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructures, and unique professional career development opportunities. To check o