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# Specialist Technician

- **Company:** University of Bristol
- **Location:** Bristol, UK
- **Salary:** £32,080.0 - £35,608.0
- **Contract:** Temporary contract
- **Skills:** 3D Printing, Computer-Aided Design, Artificial Intelligence, Systems Development Life Cycle
- **Published:** June 9, 2026
- **Apply:** https://global3.recruitmentplatform.com/syndicated/lay/jsoutputinitrapido.cfm?component=lay9999_jdesc100a&nPostingID=206554&nPostingTargetID=389290&option=52&sort=DESC&respnr=1&ID=Q50FK026203F3VBQBV7V77V83&Resultsperpage=10000&lg=UK&mask=rapido

## About the Role

* You have experience designing, developing or integrating experimental systems, instrumentation or technical solutions.
 * You have strong practical skills in prototyping, fabrication or building bespoke hardware.
 * You are able to diagnose and solve complex technical problems and work independently.
 * You are comfortable working across multiple technical domains and integrating hardware, software and experimental workflows.
 * You have excellent organisational skills and can manage multiple concurrent tasks and priorities.
 * You have experience working in interdisciplinary environments, supporting research projects, or contributing to the development of novel technical systems.
 * You are motivated to apply engineering approaches to study complex biological systems, including collective behaviour in social insects.

## Description

We are seeking a Specialist Technician to support the SMARTNESTS ERC-funded research programme at the University of Bristol. The project investigates how three-dimensional nest architecture shapes collective behaviour and disease resilience in social insects (primarily ants), combining behavioural biology with experimental engineering.

You will play a central role in developing novel experimental systems, including the design and fabrication of three-dimensional environments, integration of imaging and tracking technologies, and implementation of real-time automated control systems. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge interdisciplinary research at the interface of biology, engineering and data-driven science.

What will you be doing?

Key roles:

 * Develop experimental platforms for real-time tracking of individuals, resources and pathogens within complex three-dimensional ant nest environments, using integrated imaging, embedded optics and custom illumination systems.
 * Design and implement closed-loop control systems to monitor and manipulate behaviour in real time, linking tracking data to automated actuation.
 * Contribute to the development and integration of a combined tracking and analysis pipeline, integrating 3D surface scanning, automated tracking, and AI-based methods (e.g. pose estimation and behavioural classification) for fine-grained analysis of behaviour.
 * Design and modify complex three-dimensional structures in CAD to engineer specific network and spatial properties (e.g. connectivity, compartmentalisation), and translate these into manufacturable systems.
 * Develop and prototype novel physical experimental systems, combining advanced fabrication approaches (e.g. 3D printing, casting, kiln-based processes) to create robust and reproducible research platforms.

Supporting responsibilities:

 * Integrate hardware, imaging, sensing and control components into cohesive and reliable experimental platforms.
 * Test, optimise and troubleshoot complex experimental systems.
 * Develop robust, reproducible workflows for system fabrication and experimental deployment.
 * Prepare technical documentation, including standard operating procedures and risk assessments.
 * Provide specialist technical training, guidance and support to students and research staff in the use and development of experimental systems.
 * Liaise with internal facilities and external suppliers to support system development and procurement.


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