Archive Curator – MLC 1955

View Vacancy — Archive Curator – MLC 1955
Open Date
27/09/2022, 16:40
Close Date
23/10/2022, 23:55

Research Institute

MRC Mary Lyon Centre

Research Institute / Unit Information

The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell (MLC) https://www.har.mrc.ac.uk/ is located in an expanding science and innovation park in Oxfordshire and is an internationally renowned centre at the forefront of genetics research.  As the hub of the new National Mouse Genetics Network, the specialist facilities and capabilities of the MLC support a number of distinct research clusters spread across the UK to accelerate our understanding of human disease.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a great place to work and progress your career, be it in scientific research or in the support functions. The MRC encourages the integration of clinical and discovery research to elucidate both disease processes and potential new therapies. The MLC focuses on preclinical research using mouse models, which supports clinical research and therapy discovery. The MRC is an excellent place to develop yourself further and a range of training & development opportunities will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.

UK Research and Innovation is a new entity that brings together nine partners to create an independent organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, more information can be found at www.ukri.org

Band
 
MRC – 4

Location
 
Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire

Salary
 
£32,005 – £35,143 per annum (depending on experience)

Contract Type
 
Permanent

Job Type
 
Technical & Scientific Professionals

Full Time / Part Time
 
Full Time

Job Description
 

Overall Purpose: 

The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell (MLC) is an internationally renowned centre at the forefront of the generation and use of mouse models for the study of human disease. The MLC offers a range of mouse services to support researchers with generation and characterisation of mouse models of disease and archiving/distribution of existing models. While operating as the hub of the new National Mouse Genetics Network, along with other specialist facilities and capabilities the MLC supports a package of distinctive research clusters spread across the UK that will accelerate our understanding of human disease.

The archive curator’s role will involve reviewing and updating the National Mouse Archive’s (NMA) stock descriptions and strain nomenclature in keeping with recognised international standards to ensure that the details held in our records and subsequently displayed on our website are up to date, comprehensive and accurate. 

A fully annotated database covering the mouse strains held in the archive is a vital prerequisite if these resources are to be exploited to their fullest potential by the scientific community.

The post holder will be expected to update the nomenclature, strain descriptions and phenotype annotations currently displayed to the community via the National Mouse Archive’s and associated websites https://archive.har.mrc.ac.uk/index

This will involve comparing data from the MLC, as well as a number of external sources including the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) database, the biomedical literature and a variety of genome browsers.

This role is not directly related to a specific project but is critical to the success of the National Mouse Archive and the MLC as a whole.

The post holder may also be asked to assist other members of the Biological Resources Group from time to time to ensure that the whole operation runs smoothly.

Main Duties/Key Responsibilities: 

Working with all groups within the MLC, the post holder’s principle responsibility will involve: 

• Working with the European Mouse Mutant Archive (EMMA) curators at the EMMA node in Rome, to review and update strain nomenclature for existing holdings
• Registering new alleles from the MRC’s Genome Engineering Mice for Medicine (GEMM) and other programmes with MGI. This will include registering alleles associated with mouse strains donated by the wider scientific community
• Registering mouse strains generated in-house with EMMA
• Reviewing nominations for gene, allele & genetic elements for existing and new holdings and updating our Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
• Cross referencing the National Mouse Archives records with records held within EMMA and other databases
• Preparing stock description sheets for strains being exported to the community
• Liaising with MLC managers to ensure that breeding notes & phenotype descriptions for publicly accessible strains are updated on our LIMS
• Reviewing existing holdings to ensure that all publicly available strains are accessible to the scientific community via the MLC’s website
• Helping to collate genotyping and strain description files

Working Relationships: 

The post holder will report directly to the Head of the Biological Resources Group and will be expected to develop and maintain good working relationships with other members of the team, as well as with scientific and technical staff at all levels, in order to optimise information flow and support a culture for the transfer of knowledge 

The post holder will also need to independently develop professional working relationships with external clients and curators based at other institutions.

Additional Information: 

The post holder’s main focus will revolve around checking the accuracy of the details that describe the mouse strains held in the Harwell Archive. This will involve checking written records, genetic nomenclature and accuracy of records held in other databases such as EMMA and the MGI.

The post holder will have to use their initiative to determine whether the data submitted by depositors is accurate and complete. This will involve learning the conventions associated with genetic nomenclature and being able to read scientific papers and extract data accurately.

When records are found to be incomplete the post holder will need to establish which resource they will need to use in order to retrieve the missing information.

Where there are discrepancies between the information held within different databases the post holder will need to use their knowledge to determine which dataset is complete/correct.

Equality & Diversity:

The MRC values the diverse skills and experience of its employees and is committed to achieving equality of treatment for all.  Our objectives are that all individuals shall have equal opportunities for employment and advancement on the basis of their skills, aptitudes and abilities.  The MRC is committed to the engagement and retention of the best possible talent and to creating an environment that encourages excellence in scientific research through good equality and diversity leadership and management. 

Corporate/Local Responsibilities & Requirements:

The post holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the MRC’s:

• Code of Conduct
• Equality and Diversity policy
• Health and Safety policy
• Data Protection and Security policy

 Job descriptions should be reviewed on a regular basis and at the annual appraisal.  Any changes should be made and agreed between the post holder and their manager.

The above lists are not exhaustive and the post holder is required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be requested within the scope of the post.  All employees are required to act professionally, cooperatively and flexibly in line with the requirements of the post and the MRC.

Person Specification
 

Education/Qualifications/Training Required:

Essential: 

• BSc in a biological subject

Desirable: 

• MSc in a biological subject

Previous Work Experience Required:

Essential: 

• Previous experience of working within a similar environment
• Ability to understand biological systems, whether acquired in the laboratory or in a library setting

• Previous experience of searching for numerical and written data and condensing it into short reports, whether in a scientific or other context.

• Previous experience of working with model organisms (animals, plants, bacteria, flies etc.) in the laboratory or in the field

• Familiarity with data management and online database tools
• Previous experience of communicating with members of the scientific community within the UK or abroad

Desirable: 

• Data extraction skills and/or experience of working within a laboratory environment
• Ability to work within a multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to cope with change and work within a variety of environments in order to reach a particular goal.
• Ability to work to a high standard and to write/follow standard operating procedures

Knowledge and Experience:

Essential: 

• High level of computer literacy
• Knowledge of genetics and genetic nomenclature
• Knowledge of biological systems, specimen curation and data annotation
• Some experience of working in a laboratory/scientific environment (academic or commercial)

Desirable: 

• Experience of bioinformatics and data searching tools
• Understanding of molecular biology

Personal skills/Behaviours/Qualities:

Essential: 

• A keen eye for detail and a commitment to data quality
• An ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills
• An ability, and willingness, to communicate with staff at all levels within UK and overseas organisations
• An ability, and willingness, to work independently to prioritise work schedules and solve problems
• To be self-motivated and manage time well
• Commitment to customer-focused service delivery

 Desirable: 

• Can apply strategic and big-picture thinking to a variety of challenges

Further Information
 
Interview will be held on Monday 31 October 2022.
The MRC is a great place to work and progress your career, be it in scientific research or the support functions.The MRC is a unique working environment where our researchers are rewarded by world class innovation and collaboration opportunities that the MRC name brings. The MRC is an excellent place to develop yourself further and a range of training & development opportunities will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.
Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UKRI) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme, as well as the chance to put the MRC and UKRI on your CV in the future.
Our success is dependent upon our ability to embrace diversity and draw on the skills, understanding and experience of all our people. We welcome applications from all sections of the community irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability or age. As “Disability Confident” employers, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.
UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs.
We will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.