Research Technician Nederlands Herseninstituut

The NBB provides well-documented human brain tissue to researchers within iCNS. To support this work, we are looking for a research technician for 32 hours per week who will be responsible for cryosectioning tissues from several brain regions for downstream molecular and imaging analyses within the iCNS consortium.

The Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB) is a department of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN). The NBB provides post-mortem human brain tissue obtained from donors to researchers worldwide. The NBB is driven by a dedicated team of 18 employees, and works in close collaboration with four pathologists and mortuary assistants at the Amsterdam UMC, and with a team of 10 on-call autopsy professionals who perform autopsies during evenings and weekends.

The NBB is also part of the Institute for Chemical Neuroscience (iCNS), a consortium which aims to discover molecular changes in the human brain underlying psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Ultimately, the interdisciplinary research from iCNS will lead to a molecular “brain atlas” of psychiatric symptoms and to new leads and approaches to improve the future diagnosis, prognosis and possible treatment of psychiatric disorders.

What will you be doing

• Cryosectioning frozen human brain tissue
• Preparing tissue sections for downstream applications such as molecular analyses and imaging
• Organizing and storing samples in freezers
• Recording all tissue handling activities in the tracking database
• Helping to maintain quality control of tissue processing workflows
• Assisting with sample shipment processes
• Assisting with brain dissection and autopsy procedures

What will you be contributing

We are looking for a detail-oriented and motivated technician who enjoys working with tissue and interactive teamwork, and who is curious about brain research.

• You have a HBO degree in Life Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience, or a related field.
• You have experience with cryosectioning brain tissue and practical knowledge of immunohistochemistry.
• You are interested in brain anatomy and have good attention to detail and the ability to work in a structured way.
• You have the ability to work independently as well as in a team and have good communication skills in English.
• Candidates who already have experience cutting human brain tissue will be strongly preferred.

The position is offered for 1 year, with the possibility of extension to 2 years.

Under the Foreigners Employment Act we are obliged to recruit for non-scientific positions within the European Union. If you do not belong to one of the EU countries (including Norway and Switzerland), please do not apply.

About the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience

The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience is the country’s leading fundamental neuroscience research institute. It provides a critical mass of scientists and neuroscience facilities in a highly interactive, dynamic, multi-cultural environment, with English as the working language.

Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.