Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility. Located on the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in South of Oxford, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Diamond conducts world-class research in virtually all fields of science and offers rewarding career opportunities covering both technical and scientific disciplines. We host research facilities supporting cutting edge research in all fundamental and applied fields from Life to Physical Sciences.

The Multimode InfraRed Microspectroscopy And Imaging (MIRIAM) Beamline B22 is a state of the art IR facility for molecular microanalysis mostly in biomedicine, but also in material sciences. It provides the highest spatial resolution and molecular sensitivity optically attainable over the full IR range, including THz region. Two FTIR interferometers and two IR Microscopes are the end stations routinely used for high stability and high signal-to-noise IR microspectroscopy via the bright Synchrotron IR light radiated from Diamond. MIRIAM scientific highlight in Life Sciences covers high magnification (up to 74x) full field IR microscopy via Focal Plane Array (FPA) detector in combination with Synchrotron Radiation (SR) illumination – achieving subcellular oversampled IR images - as well as ex vivo IR microscpectroscopy of living cells in microfluidic devices. This year, MIRIAM has for the first time worldwide experimentally proved photothermal nanoIR spectroscopy via Synchrotron radiations on organic materials, too.

The position open is for a scientist to support the MIRIAM beamline B22 in biomedical applications. We wish to recruit a scientist with strong research interest in Life Sciences - with background/experience in biology or biochemistry or medical research, including cells/tissues handling and usage of state-of-the-art biolab instrumentation for sample preparation/analysis. The preference is for familiarity on IR or Raman microscopy/spectroscopy, but young researchers will be considered with practical knowledge/experience on microscopy/spectroscopy/imaging methods in general.

Within the B22 team, the scientist is to support in to the beamline operations and users beamtime, and B22 in-house activity - including following sample preparation before and data analysis afterwards - as well as any off line activity on the ancillary equipment and peripheral lab instrumentation, mostly but not only in the Life Science field. He/She has to maintain the IR beamline sample preparation area and the dedicated biological lab to carry on the tissue/cells/etc preparation/analysis, including MIRIAM in house research. Contribution to the data analysis and scientific publication/presentation of the results will be an asset.

Support Scientist duties:

• supporting users experiments, local contacting, including assisting in sample preparation and data taking/analysis;
• induction and training of users, including safety aspects;
• supporting operations and maintenance of beamline and related labs equipment;
• producing reports and documentation as needed;
• undertaking provision of consumables, chemicals and labware;
• supervising the use and maintenance of laboratory equipment where appropriate;
• assisting in beamline developments, and upgrade projects;
• participate to the beamline collaborative and in house research, including sample preparation, experiments and data analysis.

Senior Support Scientist duties above and including:

• supporting users experiments, local contacting, including assisting in sample preparation and data taking/analysis by setting up and providing advice and guidance on best approach to experiments;
• supporting operations and maintenance of beamline and related labs equipment, including testing and commissioning;
• develop and maintain expertise in a scientific field, and apply to user support;
• contribute to scientific papers from external, collaborative or in house research.

• Appropriate PhD degree or equivalent qualification and experience;
• Ability to interact effectively with staff and users at all levels;
• Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team;
• Good interpersonal, communication and presentational skills;
• Self-motivated;
• Good organisational and planning skills;
• Experience of  working with biological/medical materials;
• Experience with biolab instrumentation: e.g. microscopes, spectrometers, centrifuges etc.;
• Problem solving attitude and experimental skills in lab;
• Ability and initiative to get to the heart of the problem and take it effectively through to completion;
• Must be available to travel occasionally within the UK and abroad, including overnight absences;
• Ability to work flexible hours with occasional weekends.

Senior Support Scientist duties above and including:

• Appropriate PhD degree or equivalent qualification, and significant relevant experience;
• Experience or practice with sample preparation in life sciences, in particular cell culturing and microtome tissue sections;
• Experience in the relevant area of research: IR or Raman microscopy/spectroscopy/imaging in Life Sciences.

Experience in the relevant area of research: IR or Raman microscopy/spectroscopy/imaging;
Experience with Windows (or Linux) software, Image or Statistical Analysis software;
Experience of programming;
Experience or practice with sample preparation in life sciences, in particular cell culturing and microtome tissue sections.

Senior Support Scientist duties above and including:

Capability of providing IR/Raman data analysis;
Capability of supporting independently biolab equipment and coordinating with lab technicians.