Role:   Senior Laboratory   Technician (Paleoceanography)
Grade and Salary:   Grade 6 - £31,236 - £36,636 per annum
Contract Type: Full Time (1FTE), Fixed Term for 6 months .   Part-time working is available.
Holiday Entitlement:   33 days annual leave   plus 9 buildings-closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)
Purpose of Role
The role will be supporting an UKRI funded Future Leaders   Fellowship   ‘ Fate of ocean oxygenation in a warming world ' ,   project with   Professor   Babette Hoogakker (Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt University).
The project will involve proxy reconstructions of seawater oxygen levels and outreach work.
The individual will provide technical and logistical support. The applicant would be processing and analysing samples from marine sediment cores and require as a minimum a first degree (MSc desirable) in earth and ocean sciences (includes marine geology, oceanography, or marine biogeochemistry) and experience of working in a laboratory.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
To support ongoing research on oxygen levels in the oceans and provide specialist technical support in   paleoceanographic   research, liaising directly with the line manager.
Duties will involve:
-   sample preparation (weighing, sieving, drying of sediment samples),   
- identifying   and picking of foraminifera,  
- carrying out sedimentary and   specialist   foraminifera geochemical analyses in laboratory,
Education, Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- A degree   in   environmental/earth and ocean sciences, including oceanography, marine biology, geology, biogeochemistry
- Experienced in identification of benthic and planktonic foraminiferal species  
- Analytical and technical   problem solving   skills
- IT skills, proficient in the use of computers and general software
- Good communication   and presentation skills
- Team player with good interpersonal skills
- Demonstrate self-motivation and desire to achieve the   objectives   agreed with managers working towards the strategic goals set by the   school
- Demonstrable ability to work quickly,   flexibly   and accurately in a dynamic,   changing   and pressured environment
- Demonstrable professional and proactive approach  
- Willingness to travel and perform laboratory work with partner institutes
Desirable
- A MSc degree in   paleoceanography
- Working experience in applying palaeoceanographic proxies, including running specialist laboratory equipment
- Working towards deadlines
- Analytical and technical   problem-solving   skills
- Experience   of   relevant   health and safety protocols  
How to Apply
Applications can be submitted up to 11:55pm   (UK time)   on Thursday 13th August 2026.
Please   submit your CV & covering letter via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment.
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.
Heriot-Watt   University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.   Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt   University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website   https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm   and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers   https://disc.hw.ac.uk/   .
Use our total rewards calculator:   https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm   to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
About the Team
The School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS)   provides   a   collaborative research   and teaching environment organised into our five institutes:
- Institute of Sustainable Built Environment (ISBE)
- The Institute of Life and Earth Sciences (ILES)
- The Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering (IGE)
- TUI and ISPHERE have been replaced by the   Institute for Place, Environment and Society
In addition to our four institutes, the   International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT)   in   Orkney   is a specialised arm of the Institute of Life and Earth Sciences.
Our Programmes
Within our core disciplines we offer research-led programmes of   undergraduate   and   postgraduate   study, many of which provide   professionally-accredited   qualifications. Our programmes are often highly rated in   national surveys . Consequently, our graduates are highly sought after by employers worldwide.
We pride ourselves on our international activities. Many of our programmes are also offered at our   Dubai Campus   and   our   Malaysia Campus .   Online   study is also   an option   for some postgraduate degrees,   facilitating   learning in any country in the world.
We strive for excellence in our support to all students studying with us and our staff are committed to providing educational and professional support that is fair,   friendly   and   timely.
About Heriot-Watt University
At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.
Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.
