A little about us

We are unlocking the potential of our planet’s unexplored biodiversity to build sustainable solutions with our biotechnology partners whilst demonstrating the value of our world’s undiscovered biology.

At Basecamp Research, we pride ourselves on being a diverse, exciting, fun, and flexible place to work. We are a team of biologists, data scientists & explorers united by a sense of adventure and the belief that nature has already designed the solutions to our planet’s greatest challenges - we just have to go out and discover them!

If you feel passionate about the power of biology to show the inherent value of nature and to build a better world, we’d love to hear from you. 

About the role

We are looking for a Lab Technician to support our global biodiscovery laboratory at our Basecamp Research headquarters lab in London. You will be joining an enthusiastic team working to find novel proteins from unexplored biodiversity around the world. Your specific role will be to support the ongoing productionalisation of various protocols in our molecular biology lab, and taking ownership and responsibility on aspects of the everyday running of the lab.

The ideal candidate will be familiar, if not experienced, with next generation sequencing and molecular biology protocols. They will also be well organised and a great communicator. An exceptional candidate would be one who is excited to support our work, bringing a fresh perspective and contributing creatively to the development of new protocols (for example, extraction and sequencing) to generate high quality data from a variety of interesting samples. The lab team works incredibly closely with the data team to optimise our approaches, so you will have ample opportunity to learn about the samples that you are working with, and to directly contribute to the broader aims of the company. If you are a lab technician excited by samples from glaciers to geysers, hydrothermal vents to savannah soils, and by joining a network of collaborators working with these samples around the world, then you will love the challenges that Basecamp Research has to offer.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and carry out the preparation of environmental DNA samples. Work closely with key members of the lab and data science teams to ensure that this is well communicated.

• Support in-house sequencing of environmental DNA samples as we scale-up data generation in our HQ lab.

• Record all data and results in specified forms (paper and electronic) with accuracy and responsibility.

• Inventory management and tracking in our HQ lab.

• Help maintain equipment and uphold good laboratory practices in the HQ lab.

• Help manage, organise, and track environmental samples and DNA collected by our team and partners from around the globe.

• Conduct experiments under defined conditions to verify/reject various types of hypotheses using refined scientific methods.

• Ensure that all safety guidelines are followed strictly at all times and maintain a clean and orderly environment.

Required skills

• Proven experience as Lab Technician or relevant position.

• Experience in operating electrical and nonelectrical laboratory equipment and potentially dangerous substances (flammable liquids, infectious bacteria, biohazards etc.).

• Excellent data and result record keeping skills.

• Knowledge of Oxford Nanopore (ONT) sequencing and data management.

• Degree in biology, chemistry, or relevant field.

• Proactive and motivated. Enthusiastic to optimise laboratory systems and develop new protocols.

Advantageous skills

• Experience with electronic lab notebooks.

• Working experience with ONT platforms.

• Experience with R and Unix.

Location

• London based (non-remote) or happy to relocate to London.

What we can offer you in return:

• The opportunity to be a key early member in our team in an exciting, dynamic, and fast-moving field.

• A offer a fun, flexible, and supportive work environment with an office in the centre of London and an emphasis on collaboration and personal development.

• Exploring the world’s untapped biodiversity.