As our cell culture technician you will be involved in a versatile range of tasks ranging from hands-on experimental work to keeping the lab organized and running smoothly. You will execute and contribute to the biofabrication and bioengineering workflow in close collaboration with our biofabrication technician and our multi-disciplinary team of experts. This lab oriented position requires literature research, effective experimentation, thorough analysis, and comprehensive presentation of your results. Hence, thinking critically, being organized, and being able to multi-task are essential competences for being successful in this role.

As the majority of the projects are cross functional collaborative projects with either academic or commercial clients, it is important that you have strong communication skills and can quickly shift between projects. In addition, as the biofabrication HUB in the ICAT is a young facility, the initial period of optimization will also involve setting up the infrastructure of the biofabrication center and the SOP documentation. This provides you with the unique opportunity to be part of the establishment of this center, and it also offers you the freedom to shape your position further over time. If you are somebody that is not afraid to take on the responsibility and ownership over the initiation and structuration of the processes, than this role might suit you well.

Tasks:

• Involvement in the cell isolation, expansion and differentiation from a tissue biopsy
• Testing cell viability and functionality both before and after the cellular component is mixed with bioinks or other biomaterials
• Monitoring of long-term cellular behavior in the post-bioprinting stage
• Performing all cell therapy tissue culture activities, from starting material to finished product
• Report and review all required process steps in approved batch records
• Participate in the follow-up of protocol optimizations
• Generation and review of manufacturing procedures
• Organization of standard operating protocols (SOPs)
• Quality control and maintenance of the experimental lab equipment and reagents
• Takes responsibility for the organization and tidiness of the lab
• Responsible for the experimental training of upcoming internship students

We are looking for a structured, well organized and pragmatic cell culture technician who is creative, assertive and has a critical attitude. You are autonomous and feel comfortable designing and running your own research projects while working in a fast-paced environment. As such, you like to take ownership of the projects and can multi-task.

You also have:

•  A Master of Science or a Higher Laboratory Education (HLO) in the direction of biotechnology or life sciences, preferable with 2 or 3 years of experience.
• Experience with drafting experimental projects and carrying them out independently 
• All-round laboratory technician or biological-medical analyst with experience in industry and/or academia is a plus
• Experience with cell culture and biomaterials, preferably under GMP quality environment (not a must)
• Proven experience in 3D tissue culture and analysis
• Knowledge of biomolecular analysis techniques (e.g., qPCR, ELISA, (immuno)histochemistry, cytochemistry and tissue preparation for histology)
• Experience with various microscopy techniques of cell imaging
• Proven proficiency in written and spoken English

As a multidiscipline center, ICAT creates diverse opportunities for career development within our facility supported by a versatile team of technical experts in their fields. This also opens a networking channel to other academic institutes and companies that are in collaboration with ICAT.

We offer a full-time position, where the initial contract will be for a period of one year, which could be extended upon successful assessment. In addition we offer an annual benefit of 8.3%, holiday allowance, travel expenses and career opportunities. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Cao University Medical Centers (UMC).

If you would like more information about ICAT, take a look here and here.

The maximum salary for this position (32 - 36 hours) is € 3.787,00 gross per month based on full-time employment.

In addition, we offer an annual benefit of 8.3%, holiday allowance, travel expenses and career opportunities. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Cao University Medical Centers (UMC).

Innovation center for advanced therapies (ICAT)

The regional infrastructure of the Utrecht Science Park is being expanded with an innovation center for advanced therapies (ICAT). This center is part of the Regenerative medicine (RegMed XB) Pilot Plant and has recently been funded by the National Growth Fund.

The ICAT consists of three facilities; a Biofabrication innovation facility, a GMP simulation facility and a GMP production facility. The aim of ICAT is to facilitate the collaboration between fundamental and translational researchers, GMP experts and clinicians. This corporation will boost the translation from promising innovative research lines into therapeutic applications or into a clinical production process.

The biofabrication facility serves as a platform in which innovations in the field of biofabrication are implemented and utilized. You will be working on several projects in parallel in close collaboration with the other sub-facilities and commercial partners. We for example focus on combining state-of-art technologies with the fundamental strategy of integrating biofabrication, cells and biomaterials into biologically functional constructs. The three facilities have all the infrastructure and state-of-art equipment to products for patients in UMC Utrecht and other hospitals in the Netherlands. In addition, ICAT is a unique center where academic and commercial partners meet and where the next generation of professionals will be trained.