The Technical Team carry out a wide range of activities which, as a whole, enable the labs to be safe environments to work in, with an excellent equipment base. The technical staff have the skills and experience to support state of the art instruments and to support the practical programme and research projects, enabling students to get hands on experience in the labs.
The technical team will work with the academic staff to develop and timetable practical classes to ensure they are up to date and fit for purpose with accurate lab protocols. They will provide in class support in the form of demonstrations, training sessions or technical support for various techniques. During research projects undergraduate final year students and MSc students receive daily support from technical staff to enable them to complete their individual project work; this support ranges from help with calculations to training on mass spectrometers. BMRC users also receive ‘at shoulder’ support and training when using instrumentation.
Technical staff support the infrastructure of the teaching labs and BMRC to enable them to keep running. Some of the duties include glass washing, autoclaving, equipment maintenance, servicing and calibration, provision of gases, reagents, consumables and equipment, housekeeping checks, support of health and safety systems and processes, chemical management and segregation, support of the risk assessment and quality systems, management of controlled substances, radiation and other licence requirements.
The technical team have a broad skill base and members often have an area of expertise. The team continually work to develop new skills or techniques to ensure they are able to support a wide range of equipment, techniques and new technologies.
Who are we?
The Biosciences and Chemistry technical team is divided into two sub-teams; Teaching and Learning, and Projects and Resources.
In practice, both teams work together to ensure an excellent student experience during the practical classes and final year and MSc research projects. To find out more about what we do read our Service Charter.
There is a photo board outside the prep room (Owen, room 840) showing all team members.
Teaching and Learning
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| Dr Kay Simmonite
Tel 0114 225 6103 |
Dr Daniel Kinsman
Tel 0114 225 3076 |
| Technical Team Leader | Senior Technical Officer |
The Teaching and Learning team are involved in the organisation and provision of the practical programme made up of taught lab classes. This includes timetabling of lab sessions, development of lab classes, purchasing and preparation of consumables, reagents and equipment, in-class support and provision of demonstrations or training. The team also support widening participation events, open days and work experience students in the labs.
Projects and Resources
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| Dr Karen Bailey-Smith
Tel 0114 225 3938 |
Nicola Tattersall
Tel 0114 225 6155 |
| Team Leader | Senior Technical Officer |
The Projects and Resources team are involved in the organisation and support of MSc and Final year research projects and support of the Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre (BMRC). In addition, other roles include waste management, internal stores and procurement, equipment servicing and asset management.
Biosciences and Chemistry lab and office accommodation is supported by both teams.