Modern Apprentice – Biology Technician

The School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society has an exciting opportunity for a Modern Apprentice (Biology) Technician to develop their skills within the Lyell Centre technical team. The Modern Apprentice will be joining a technical services team that is committed to supplying the highest quality support to enthusiastic applied research groups within the Lyell Centre, with a focus on supporting the Wolfson Climate Change Research Aquarium, the environmental research facilities and marine field work.

We are looking to employ a Modern Apprentice who is keen to progress in the world of life sciences and who has a real passion and desire to work within a laboratory-based environment as well as enjoys actively participating in fieldwork. The successful candidate must have a flexible, enthusiastic attitude with good team working ability. The ability to follow instruction and self-motivation are also pre-requisites. Field work at sea will require that applicants are able to pass an ENG1 medical examination and a Survival at Sea course which will constitute part of the training programme.

Over a period of 3.5 years, the Apprenticeship will involve attending a local further education college on a part-time basis and spending the rest of the time working within the Lyell Centre research environment gaining hands-on experience by contributing to ongoing research projects. As the individual’s skills develop, they will be involved with the day-to-day running of the aquarium facility, as well as other laboratory-based analyses across the environmental research laboratory facilities of the Lyell Centre and during fieldwork campaigns. This can include applying, maintaining, rectifying and repairing a wide range of equipment for both research purposes and teaching.

Under instruction from the Technical Services Manager and Senior Technicians, the successful candidate will receive on-the-job training in the workplace and through external course provision to learn the following:

• Work and train alongside other technicians and researcher staff and students in the aquarium and environmental research laboratory facilities.
• Installation, maintenance, modification and fabrication of scientific equipment required for research.
• Learn to operate the range of equipment in the Lyell Centre’s aquarium and research laboratory facilities.
• Assist with the set ups of experimental apparatus.
• Learn to work with a standard range of equipment including microscopes, balances, pipettes etc.
• With guidance, participate in project and field work.
• Support proactive H&S compliancy checks and maintenance.
• Support field work at sea on small vessels and fishing vessels.

All tasks will be at a level appropriate to the apprentice’s developing skills and under the guidance of a mentor and others in the technical team.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Health and Safety: Working at all times with due care to the requirements of safe working, never putting themself or anyone else at any risk, regardless of expediency or convenience, seeking advice and assistance from technicians or supervisors whenever questions arise.
• Equipment operation: Learn to properly and safely use and test scientific apparatus as well as maintaining this equipment.
• Personal development: To complete training and practical work in the laboratories and become competent in the range of skills listed above. To attend day release college as outlined above to gain a full background in biosciences, completing all coursework to a high standard and within agreed time frames.
• Personal Responsibility: To keep themself, their working environment, and equipment neat and in good order, to the satisfaction of the mentor, and to take joint responsibility for a safe and tidy aquarium and laboratory facility.
• Teamwork: To be an active and enthusiastic member of the technical team, supporting colleagues as need be. This includes undertaking additional tasks which may be reasonably requested from them from time to time by the Technical Services Manager and others in the technical team.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.

Essential & Desirable Criteria

Essential:

• Minimum of three general Standard Grades/National 5's are required two of which should be in English and Maths.
• A science subject, preferably biology or chemistry at higher level at grade C or above is essential.
• A second science grade C or above is desirable.
• Experience in any relevant work or activity that showed problem solving and analytical skills.
• IT literacy.
• Able to communicate easily and understandably in English.
• Able to demonstrate an aptitude for the skills taught in the apprenticeship.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and willingness to work flexibly.
• Be able to work to your own initiative.
• Be comfortable working in a busy environment.
• Able to pass an ENG1 medical examination and a Survival at Sea course.

Desirable:

• Experience in working within a laboratory environment.
• General level of fitness to be able to work under laboratory and fieldwork conditions, including boatwork.
• Have a clean driving license to be able to drive hire cars and small vans.

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Saturday 28th February 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 and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers.

About the Team: Based at Heriot-Watt's Edinburgh Campus, Heriot-Watt University and the British Geological Survey (BGS) joined forces in 2015 to create a new research platform, the Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Science and Technology, to become one of Europe's leading centres for research and expertise in the earth and marine sciences.

The Lyell Centre promotes innovative research at the core of geoscience, marine and terrestrial ecology, computing, mathematics and engineering. Together with our colleagues at BGS, the Centre aims to create a world-leading research cluster bringing science and technology together to tackle major issues of natural resource and energy supply in a responsible and sustainable way.

The new fusion of pure and applied expertise between Heriot-Watt and the BGS provides an opportunity to develop and use innovative methods and new technologies to create real-world solutions to address global challenges. The Lyell Centre’s research themes are clustered in two main areas: Applied Geoscience and Ecosystems Science. New research laboratories in Biogeochemistry, Marine Sciences, and GeoEnergy are fundamental components to facilitate and catalyse advancement of research and outreach in the Lyell Centre.

We host a cohort of around 50 PhD students in various disciplines. We also contribute to undergraduate teaching and lead two masters programmes in Global Environmental Change and Policy, and Marine Resource Management and Policy.

Further information can be obtained at: Heriot-Watt University Lyell Centre.