Job Description
Grade UE05: £29,588 - £33,951 per annum
CMVM/ Roslin Institute LARIF
Full Time: 35 hours per week
Open-Ended (permanent)
We are looking for a Large Animal Research Assistant experienced in large animal research work to work within a multi-functional team involved in the day to day running of Large Animal research studies in the Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility (LARIF).
The Opportunity
We are looking fora well-organised individual, with knowledge or experience in animal procedures, laboratory techniques and data recording. Agricultural / Vet Nurse experience or qualifications, with experience in large animal husbandry would be an advantage. The post holder will require the ability to communicate well and work within a large multi-functional team. The candidate must be willing to become involved in all areas of large animal work including day to day care, assisting in procedures, setting up surgeries and the taking of samples. It would be an advantage if the candidate was familiar with and experience of working under the Animal Scientific Procedures Act.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
- To conduct a range of specialist licenced and non-licensed procedures on Large Animals. Preparation of animals for surgical procedures, to assist during surgery when required and to provide post-operative care for large animals
- Set up Surgical areas including moving equipment, sterilising equipment, making up surgical kits. Clean down of surgical areas after surgical procedures. Maintain a high standard of hygiene, infection control, cleanliness and organisation throughout the LARIF, while adhering to health and safety guidelines at all levels, to reduce the risk of infection and injury.
- Part of a team responsible for the day-to-day care of a range of farm species ensuring their health and welfare. This will involve some weekend and out of hours work.
- Assist in the collections of samples and recording of data. Assist in laboratory and embryology procedures.
- Assist in the care and maintenance of facilities and equipment used in animal studies.
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Application Information
Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
- A competitive salary
- An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
- To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
- Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our
right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)
The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. They will only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is
2nd September 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
About Us
As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
About The Team
The Roslin Institute receives strategic investment from the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and provides national capability to achieve sustainable agriculture, control diseases and enhance health through pioneering animal bioscience. The Institute is a key part of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, which consistently places in the top ten veterinary schools worldwide in QS world rankings. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework exercise, a joint submission by the School and Scotland’s Rural College in the unit of assessment on Agriculture, Veterinary & Food Science placed first in the United Kingdom.
The Institute became part of the University of Edinburgh in 2008 and moved to a £60M state-of-the-art building at the Easter Bush Campus in 2011. This is now occupied by >400 staff, students and visitors, including around 65 Group Leaders and Tenure Track Fellows on a path to independence. The Institute has a vibrant programme of postgraduate research and a thriving student community ( https://vet.ed.ac.uk/roslin/work-study/postgraduate ) (opens in a new browser tab) . Research at the Institute is organised across eight divisions (Quantitative Biology, Genome Biology, Functional Genetics, Translational Bioscience, Bacteriology, Virology, Immunology, and Epidemiology) and two Institute Strategic Programmes funded by the BBSRC from 2023-28 (Genes & Traits for Healthy Animals and Prevention & Control of Infectious Diseases).
Over £380M has been invested in physical infrastructure at Easter Bush since 2008, including for research on key terrestrial and aquatic farmed animals. This includes the National Avian Research Facility, a £24M Large Animal Research & Imaging Facility, Aquaculture facilities for fish and shellfish, and an Innovation Centre that is now fully occupied with commercial tenants. The campus serves as a key innovation hub for the Agri-Tech, Aquaculture and Animal Bioscience (3A) sector and Roslin has extensive partnerships with businesses, including animal breeding and pharmaceutical businesses able to translate its discoveries at global scale.
Total income at The Roslin Institute is c. £35M per annum, a significant amount of which derives from the BBSRC via strategic and competitive funding. The Institute partners extensively with the Gates Foundation, which invests in a Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics & Health together with the UK Government to drive genetic gain in farmed animals indigenous to low- and middle-income countries. While primarily focussed on sustainable agriculture and the control of animal diseases, Roslin also aims to enhance human health, for example through control of zoonoses and the use of animals as models of human disease to support preclinical evaluation of candidate medicines.
The Institute has a positive and inclusive culture and holds a prestigious Athena SWAN Gold award in recognition of its commitment to advance the careers of women in science.
Further details of the research conducted at the Institute can be found at The Roslin Institute website ( https://www.ed.ac.uk/roslin ) (opens in a new browser tab)
