
Job vacancies at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
Join our friendly international community of over 150 staff here at Sainsbury Wellcome Centre where we support extraordinary people to tackle extraordinary problems.
Comprising of 12 research groups made up of Postdoctoral Researchers, PhD Students, Research Assistants and Master’s Students who all are working towards understanding how the brain drives behaviour. Alongside, are professional and scientific staff who provide indispensable expertise to support SWC’s mission.
Current vacancies
Find the latest vacancies below and apply online via the UCL jobs website. You can also follow us on Twitter @SWC_Neuro for the latest job opportunities or sign up for regular job alerts on the UCL application portal.
Senior Animal Technician (Neurobiological Research Facility)
- Reference: B02-05688
- Salary: £33,259 - £38,466 per annum inclusive of London Allowance
- Working Type: On site, Full time
- Closing date: 13 December 2023
About the role
The Centre is looking for a Senior Animal Technician to join our close-knit team and support animal husbandry, care and welfare within the SWC Neurobiological Research Facility (NRF), the Centre's in-house animal unit. You will work on your own initiative to provide day-to-day care of the animals, and as a senior member of the Technicians team you'll work closely with the Centre's scientists to oversee breeding programmes and ensure Home Office standards of husbandry and welfare are met. You'll also help to train and develop colleagues in basic techniques, assist with the development and implementation of standard operating procedures and ensure you are up-to-date with project licences in use at the Centre. The nature of this role means that will be required to work occasional unsociable hours to meet the demands on the service; this will include some paid overtime working (up to two weekends per month) and UCL closure days.
About you
You'll hold a Home Office personal licence and an IAT qualification, and have a good working knowledge of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and EU Directive. You'll have extensive knowledge of small animal procedures and will be fully conversant with transgenic technology. An understanding of bio-security and disease transfer is essential, and experience of supervising or managing a small team would be desirable. Great communication and team working skills are key as is the ability to work on your own initiative and unsupervised on a daily basis.
What we offer
The SWC offers staff an award-winning work environment in the heart of Fitzrovia with access to pleasant outdoor spaces. The Centre also offers the full range of UCL staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement, occupational pension schemes, excellent family-friendly policies such as occupational shared parental pay, career break policy, a work-life balance policy, and a range of financial benefits such as a season ticket loan scheme and staff discounts. SWC prides itself on offering a high quality administrative, technical and operational support function, and fully supports the professional development and progression of its staff, actively encouraging colleagues to learn new skills and broaden their experience. The SWC is supported in this aim by UCL’s Organisational Development team who run a wide range of training programmes for all staff types and grades.
How to apply
To apply visit UCL’s vacancy listings and search for vacancy reference B02-05688. Click on “Apply Now” to enter the recruitment portal and start your application.
The full job description and person specification can be downloaded here.
Floor Manager (Neurobiological Research Facility)
- Reference: B02-06152
- Salary: £40,524 - £48,763 per annum inclusive of London Allowance
- Working Type: On site, Full time
- Closing date: 13 December 2023
About the role
This post primarily involves the care and welfare of breeding and experimental mice, including transgenic animals and you will take responsibility for the everyday organisation of your own workload. You will work alongside the senior management team in the supervision of staff including allocation of work, managing rotas and team motivation. You will also support the senior management team with the operational running of the NRF, and provide inductions, training and guidance to junior members of the team and scientific colleagues. Duties also include acting as the Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer (NACWO) and overseeing transgenic breeding programmes and in-house breeding in discussion with the Project License Holder and Licensees.
About you
You must have proven skills and experience with mice in a research environment and hold a Personal Licence. Good interpersonal skills with the ability to build good working relationships with all stakeholders, as well as motivate and support junior team members, are essential. You'll be fully conversant with transgenic technology, including knowledge and experience of transgenic breeding and maintenance as well as tracking of breeding colonies. Strong training and presentation skills, with the ability to deliver lectures and workshops relating to Home Office modules and competency training are essential.
What we offer
The SWC offers staff an award-winning work environment in the heart of Fitzrovia with access to pleasant outdoor spaces. The Centre also offers the full range of UCL staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement, occupational pension schemes, excellent family-friendly policies such as occupational shared parental pay, career break policy, a work-life balance policy, and a range of financial benefits such as a season ticket loan scheme and staff discounts. SWC prides itself on offering a high quality administrative, technical and operational support function, and fully supports the professional development and progression of its staff, actively encouraging colleagues to learn new skills and broaden their experience. The SWC is supported in this aim by UCL’s Organisational Development team who run a wide range of training programmes for all staff types and grades.
How to apply
To apply visit UCL’s vacancy listings and search for vacancy reference B02-06152. Click on “Apply Now” to enter the recruitment portal and start your application.
The full job description and person specification can be downloaded here.
Research Operations Manager (Neurobiological Research Facility)
- Reference: B02-06173
- Salary: £51,474 - £58,895 per annum inclusive of London Allowance
- Working Type: On site, Full time
- Closing date: 13 December 2023
- Interview date: 20 December 2023
About the role
We are excited to introduce this brand-new role to our state-of-the-art Neurobiological Research Facility (NRF) which enables world-leading research. The NRF is both science and welfare-driven, promoting collaboration within and beyond the institute. The facility provides expertise and support for housing and experiments, all underpinned with world-class standards of welfare. The Research Operations Manager (ROM) will form part of the NRF senior leadership team. The post-holder will work alongside SWC's Chief Scientific Officer, the Head of the NRF, the Standards and Licensing Manager and Deputy Unit Manager to achieve strategic aims. You will make decisions relating to the research systems, equipment, people, and processes needed to make the research service function economically, efficiently and effectively. Together with the Head of the NRF, the ROM is responsible for the management, motivation and development of staff and maintaining a culture of care.
About you
You will hold a PhD in neuroscience or a related field with a proven track record of research. Experience with rodent behavioural training and analysis as well as building experimental set-ups is essential. Your strong communication skills will allow you to build collaborative relationships across the Centre and deliver lectures, demonstrations and competency training to NRF and research staff. You will have experience in surgical methods (e.g. stereotaxic injection/electrode/window/fiber implantation etc). and considerable practical knowledge and experience of in vivo experimental procedures as well as peri- and post- operative care. Excellent organisational skills with the ability to integrate the demands of a range of activities to deliver an efficient research service are essential You’ll also be conversant with ASPA regulations and other regulatory requirements in a research environment.
What we offer
The SWC offers staff an award-winning work environment in the heart of Fitzrovia with access to pleasant outdoor spaces. The Centre also offers the full range of UCL staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement, occupational pension schemes, excellent family-friendly policies such as occupational shared parental pay, career break policy, a work-life balance policy, and a range of financial benefits such as a season ticket loan scheme and staff discounts. SWC prides itself on offering a high quality administrative, technical and operational support function, and fully supports the professional development and progression of its staff, actively encouraging colleagues to learn new skills and broaden their experience. The SWC is supported in this aim by UCL’s Organisational Development team who run a wide range of training programmes for all staff types and grades.
How to apply
To apply visit UCL’s vacancy listings and search for vacancy reference B02-06173. Click on “Apply Now” to enter the recruitment portal and start your application.
The full job description and person specification can be downloaded here.
Want to know more? Read our Why join SWC? page to learn about our values and commitments, state of the art Centre, staff benefits and awards.
Interested in joining us? Find out more about How to Apply.
For general enquiries please contact the SWC HR team swc.hr@ucl.ac.uk, +44 (0)20 3108 8011.

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As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.
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