Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility. Located on the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire a 20 minute drive south of Oxford in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Diamond Light Source conducts world-class research in virtually all fields of science and offers rewarding career opportunities covering both technical and scientific disciplines.

We are seeking an innovative and enthusiastic individual to develop novel sample preparation methodology for the new micro/nanofocus VMXm beamline at Diamond Light Source. VMXm is a ground-breaking tuneable wavelength beamline with a minimum X-ray beam size of < 500 nm, utilising an in vacuo sample stage combining knowledge from both X-ray and electron microscopy fields. The VMXm team have developed new approaches to beam focusing and sample visualization and are seeking to complement the group with expertise in the preparation of micro/nano sized biological particles and crystals.

Duties

• Assist in the procurement, installation, assembly, and maintenance of a range of equipment and systems on the beamline and support laboratories, including testing and commissioning
• Local contact support to users by setting up and providing advice and guidance on the best approach to experiments, data analysis and research techniques
• Measurement of samples including data analysis and contributing to publications
• Undertake problem solving and fault diagnosis of the beamline
• Develop and maintain expertise in a scientific field, and apply it to user support
• Work closely with other scientific and technical staff to produce designs for new systems, equipment or processes
• Collaborate with users and in house staff research within area of expertise
• Contribute to scientific papers from external or in-house research
• Produce reports and documentation (e.g. manuals) to support the beamline and laboratories
• Assist the VMXm scientists in the development of sample preparation and delivery methods.

• PhD in structural biology or related disciplines;
• Good interpersonal, communication, organizational and presentational skills;
• Ability to interact with staff and facility users at all levels;
• Ability and initiative to get to the heart of the problem and take it effectively through to completion;
• Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team;
• Ability to work flexibly with occasional weekend and out-of hours;
• Self motivation;
• Experience in the preparation of biological samples for structural studies ideally having contributed to new methodology;
• Experience in structural biology;
• Basic knowledge of using Windows/Linux/Unix.

• Experience with Scanning or Transmission Electron Microscopy of biological samples;
• Experience in macromolecular crystallography data collection and analysis;
• Experience in providing expert support to end-users.