Isotope Laboratory Technician (ILT)

The Role and Department

The Durham Geochemistry Centre in the Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University seeks an Isotope Laboratory Technician (ILT) to be a core member of the DGC team.

The Isotope Laboratory Technician will work alongside the lab manager and academic staff members on a day-to-day basis, to:

• maintain the clean laboratories and troubleshoot laboratory issues (e.g., de-ionised water supply, air handling, acid distillation) and mass spectrometry issues (e.g., cone changing, neb blocking, torches, software) in a time and cost-efficient manner;
• provide clean laboratory and mass spectrometry training and supervision to established and new internal and external users;
• train and supervise new users in the clean laboratory and mass spectrometry lab;
• work with all users (PIs, staff, post-doctoral research fellows, undergraduate, masters, and graduate students) to develop and establish new laboratory and instrumentation procedures (e.g., reagent preparation, sample digestion and chemical purification, acid stills, development of isotope "spiking" techniques);
• lead on routine radiogenic isotope analysis; (MC-ICP-MS, TIMS)
• conduct their own research as time allows;
• oversee clean laboratory chemistry orders and budgeting;
• work with the lab manager on health and safety protocols;
• provide support for trace element analysis, other duties permitting.

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.

Contact Details

For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Kevin Burton (email: )

• Troubleshoot and maintain clean laboratory and mass spectrometry equipment.
• Apply maintenance and user schedules to ensure the safe, clean and efficient use of laboratories.
• Manage the day-to-day delivery of a high-quality technical and/or experimental facility/platform and service to ensure research and knowledge exchange outputs.
• Record, monitor and collate documents on laboratory standards and blanks, instruments, fume hoods and data archives.
• Supervise internal and external laboratory users.

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University's values.
• Provide specialist advice and guidance relating to lab users.
• Provide specialist knowledge and support when interpretating and analysing mass spectrometry data.
• Look for ways to improve clean laboratory and mass spectrometry processes, techniques and outputs/ results.
• Help train internal and external clean laboratory users.
• Where necessary, work with users to help develop specialist risk assessments and safety procedures and resolve incidents that require specialist expertise.

• Provide specialist advice to resolve technical problems, plan projects and continually develop mass spectrometry and laboratory techniques and procedures.
• Help manage budgets and expenditure including buying (and returning) lab supplies and invoicing services.

• Provide advice and guidance on University health and safety and compliance issues.
• Collaborate with internal and external academics, industry and technical specialists to support the delivery of research projects and to contribute to the generation of external income.
• Create positive working relationships, including internal and external networks, using your networks to increase your knowledge and skills and swap information with peers.