Research Technician Nederlands Herseninstituut

The NBB provides well-documented human brain tissue to researchers within iCNS. To support this work we are looking for a research technician for 32 hours per week who will be responsible for cryosectioning tissues from several brain regions for downstream molecular and imaging analyses within the iCNS consortium.

The Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB) is a department of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN). The NBB provides post-mortem human brain tissue obtained from donors to researchers worldwide. The NBB is driven by a dedicated team of 18 employees, and close collaboration with four pathologists and mortuary assistants at the Amsterdam UMC, and with a team of 10 on-call autopsy professionals who perform autopsies during evenings and weekends.

The NBB is also part of the Institute for Chemical Neuroscience (iCNS), a consortium which aims to discover molecular changes in the human brain underlying psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Ultimately, the interdisciplinary research from iCNS will lead to a molecular “brain atlas” of psychiatric symptoms and to new leads and approaches to improve the future diagnosis, prognosis and possible treatment of psychiatric disorders.

What will you be doing

Your main tasks include; cryosectioning frozen human brain tissue, preparing tissue sections for downstream applications such as molecular analyses and imaging, organizing and storing samples in freezers, recording all tissue handling activities in the tracking database, helping to maintain quality control of tissue processing workflows, assisting with sample shipment processes and assisting with brain dissection and autopsy procedures

What will you be contributing

We are looking for a detail-oriented and motivated technician who enjoys working with tissue and interactive teamwork, and who is curious about brain research. You have a HBO degree in Life Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience, or a related field. You have experience with cryosectioning brain tissue and practical knowledge of immunohistochemistry. You are interested in brain anatomy and good attention to detail and ability to work in a structured way. Furthermore you have the ability to work independently as well as in a team and have good communication skills in English.

Candidates who already have experience cutting human brain tissue will be strongly preferred. Please elaborate on your experience with cryosectioning (human brain) tissue in your motivation.

The position is offered for 1 year, with the possibility of extension to 2 years. References may also be requested during the selection process.

Under the Foreigners Employment Act we are obliged to recruit for non-scientific positions within the European Union. If you do not belong to one of the EU countries (including Norway and Switzerland), please do not apply.

Information:

Evaluation of candidates will begin immediately and will continue until the vacancy is filled. More information on the NBB can be found on www.hersenbank.nl, www.brainbank.nl, www.nin.nl, https://i-cns.nl/. 

Should you have any questions regarding this vacancy, please contact Payam Safavi at the Netherlands Brain Bank via p.safavi@nin.knaw.nl.

About the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience
The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience is the country’s leading fundamental neuroscience research institute, in the international and progressive city of Amsterdam. It provides a critical mass of scientists (spanning more than 27 nationalities) and neuroscience facilities, in a highly interactive, dynamic, multi-cultural environment, with English as the working language.

Terms of employment
Depending on education and experience the minimum salary is € 3057,- and the maximum salary is € 3985,- gross per month for a full-time appointment (scale 7 cao Nederlandse Universiteiten/KNAW). This is exclusive of 8% vacation allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance and pension accrual with ABP.

The KNAW offers its staff an excellent package of secondary benefits. A package that meets the different needs of employees depending on their stage of life, lifestyle or career ambitions. For example, by working an extra two hours a week, it is possible to increase the number of days off from 29 to 41 days a year (with full-time employment).

For a complete overview of the terms of employment, please refer to the web page: werken bij de KNAW.

Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.

Diversity & Inclusion
The KNAW considers a working environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated of great importance. A working environment in which attention is paid to individual quality and where development opportunities are paramount. Together we strive for an inclusive culture in which we embrace differences. We would therefore like to invite candidates who want to contribute to this through their background and experience. In the event of equal suitability, preference will be given to the candidate who thus enhances diversity within the Academy.

We will not respond to any supplier enquiries based on this job advertisement.