The Unit is an internationally recognised centre of excellence with dominant research themes in the areas of HIV and emerging infections, vaccines and immunity, and chronic diseases and cancer. Through a multidisciplinary approach, intersecting basic science, epidemiological research, social-behavioural research and the conduct of new intervention evaluation studies, the Unit contributes knowledge on changing epidemics and diseases, the evaluation of innovative health care options, treatment and prevention and the development of health policy and practice in Africa and worldwide. Following the signing of strategic transfer agreements between the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Medical Research Council (MRC UK), the Unit formally joined LSHTM on 1st February 2018. The exciting new partnership will boost research capacity into current and emerging health issues in Africa and throughout the world. The Unit is based at the UVRI Entebbe campus with established outposts in Kalungu, Masaka, Wakiso and Kampala Districts. The Unit is now seeking enthusiastic and experienced individuals to fill the following position: Laboratory Technologist – (02 Positions) Position Code: LTRD -526 Reports to: Principal Scientist Station: Entebbe

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Job Purpose

The position holder will support advanced immunological research and development activities for the VacICoP (Marburg Correlates of Protection) project. The role focuses on the production, optimisation, qualification, and quality assurance of immunological reagents, including recombinant viral antigens and pseudoviruses, to support precision immune assays, vaccine evaluation, and correlates of protection research, in strict compliance with GCLP, biosafety, and quality standards

Roles & Responsibilities

1. Principal duties;

• Produce, optimise, and characterise recombinant viral antigens using mammalian expression systems;
• Generate, titrate, validate, and document pseudoviruses for neutralisation and functional immune assays;
• Support ELISA and neutralisation assay workflows, reagent qualification, and assay optimisation;
• Maintain complete, accurate, and auditable laboratory records in line with GCLP requirements;
• Adhere to biosafety, biosecurity, infection prevention, and cold-chain management procedures;
• Support equipment calibration, environmental monitoring, and quality assurance processes;
• Contribute to monoclonal antibody discovery and antigen‑specific B‑cell workflows;
• Maintain reagent inventories, batch traceability, and SOP compliance; and,
• Support training and supervision of junior staff and trainees

Person Specification

• Bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory technology, Biomedical Sciences, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field;
• Should possess 1–2 years’ hands‑on laboratory experience in immunology, molecular biology, cell culture, or protein expression;
• Demonstrated experience with immunoassays and laboratory documentation in regulated environments;
• Training and certification in Biosafety/Biosecurity, IPC, and GCP/GCLP (within the last two years);
• Familiarity with pseudo virus systems, neutralisation assays, and mammalian expression platforms is an added advantage
• Strong attention to detail, data integrity, and ability to execute SOPs reproducibly
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a high‑performance R&D environment