Teaching Laboratory Technician Duties & Responsibilities
The role and function of a Teaching Laboratory Technician includes the following duties and responsibilities:
- Running trials of experiments prior to classes and then demonstrating techniques for experiments;
- Preparing equipment and chemicals before lessons – from test tubes to state-of-the-art microscopes;
- Ensuring that equipment is properly cleaned and that chemicals, drugs and other materials are appropriately stored;
- Working with individual students and supporting them on research projects;
- Coordinating work in the laboratory to ensure efficient use is made of expensive pieces of equipment.
- Maintaining and repairing equipment and laboratory apparatus;
- Record keeping, e.g. for students’ practical sessions, tracking methods, results, etc;
- Managing the stock control of chemicals and equipment;
- Contributing to high-level research, if working at university level;
- Liaising with academic staff to discuss timetables, equipment requirements and work plans;
- Ensuring that all health and safety procedures are understood and followed correctly;
- Cataloguing recordings and making them available when requested (if the department houses audiovisual resources);
- Supporting the work of teachers in classes and laboratory sessions and giving technical advice to staff and students;
Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Teaching Laboratory Technician duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Teaching Laboratory Technician roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.
