Celebrating our fabulous technicians!

Collage of two young technicians both wearing blue lab coats and working at a biological safety cabinet

Sept 2023: This week is "Technicians' Week" and we're celebrating two of the wonderful technicians who work in our stem cell drug discovery labs.

Our technicians play an essential role in the laboratory science that underpins our research to understand more about neurodegenerative conditions and find new drugs to test in clinical trials.

Bringing their practical skills, knowledge and expertise, they are essential to the success of the work.

Often unsung heroes, technicians can be the glue that binds a successful lab together. They are committed professionals who not only undertake experiements with precision and care, but also play a vital role in training and teaching other lab members, and contributing their knowledge and ideas to help drive the research forward.

This week is "Technicians' Week" so we are celebrating two of our technicians, Jyoti Nanda and James Cooper. Jyoti and James both work in Prof Siddharthan Chandran and Dr Bhuvaneish Selvaraj's laboratories that are integrally linked with the work of the Anne Rowling Clinic.

 

head and shoulders photo of Jyoti Nanda

I’m Jyoti Nanda and I have over 20 years’ experience in many disciplines such as Cancer Research and currently Motor Neuron Disease (MND) Stem cell research. Working in the various disciplines has given me the necessary confidence to be efficient in my roles as a technician. It gives me great satisfaction working as a Senior Research lab tech and Project Manager, as I get to help students and senior scientists develop their technical skills and deliver results in the lab. Every day, is different and I enjoy the challenges presented to me. 

 

head and shoulders photo of James Cooper

Hello there! My name is James Cooper, and I'm a Senior Research Technician specialising in the genetic engineering of human embryonic stem cell and induced pluripotent stem cells cultures to create neurodegenerative disease models of the human brain. Before my current position, I worked as a Senior Research Assistant at the British Heart Foundation Oxbridge Centre of Regenerative Medicine and an Advanced Research Assistant at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge. These experiences broadened my skill set and knowledge across multiple disciplines while working on exciting projects. As a technician, I enjoy sharing my knowledge with students and postdocs. I'm always eager to learn, update my skills, and stay up-to-date with the latest technology. The unique nature of my job means that no two days are the same, which is what makes it even more exciting for me.

 

Related links

Find out about our laboratory and data research

Support for technicians at the University of Edinburgh

This article was published on: Wednesday, September 06, 2023
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