UCL technical staff community

Find out more about the community, meet some of our staff and find out about ways to connect and network.

About the community

UCL employs approximately 1,000 highly skilled technical staff, whose diverse expertise is essential to the university’s core mission of delivering excellence in research, innovation, education, and knowledge exchange.

At UCL, the term Technical Professionals or Research and Teaching Technical Professionals (RTTPs) describes a wide range of roles, including, but not limited to, technicians, research professionals, team-science professionals, workshop engineers, research software engineers, data scientists, research nurses, clinical trial managers, and informaticians.

At the latest UCL Technical Skills Survey (2021), at least 81% of respondents were involved in research or supported research activities at UCL. Seven percent support teaching only, and 43% support both teaching and research.

Technical Professionals are employed in the following Faculties: Art & Humanities, Bartlett – Built Environment, Brain Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Institute of Education, Life Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Medical Sciences, Population and Health Sciences, Social and Historical Sciences, plus non-faculty departments such as Advance Research Computing, Biological Services, Estates, Information Services Division (ISD), Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science (LCCOS), Learning Technology and Media Services, and UCL East.

Meet some of our technical staff

Spotlight on...

• Douglas King, Head of the Cruciform Teaching Facilities Unit, who takes us through his varied 20-year career at UCL and his involvement in UCL's new technical careers framework. (9 Feb 2023)
• Caitlin Broadbent, Cell and Molecular Biology Technician at the Ear Institute – who chats to us about helping out with the UCL Technical Showcase. (16 Mar 2023)
• Thompson Osim, Research Technician at the Social Research Institute, who was recently featured on Sky's Portrait Artist of the Year – and whose artwork was chosen by singer-songwriter Lemar! (16 Feb 2023)
• Isabel Gonçalves Cattuzzo, who chats to us about her work with UCL’s Technical Managers Group, of which she is a member – and her love of music and Star Wars films. (23 Sep 2021)

Featured in the Technical Professional Careers Framework

• Neil Hughes, Head of Technical Staff for the Department of Earth Sciences
• Helena Wong, Senior Chemistry Teaching Laboratory Technician, Department of Chemistry
• Martyn Towner, Natural Sciences Technician, Department of Chemistry
• Louise Rayner, Director, Archaeology South-East, UCL Institute of Archaeology
• Professor Christopher Thrasivoulou, Professorial Research Fellow, Division of Biosciences

Networking opportunities

Please check the 2024-27 priorities and opportunities page and visit the Technical Skills Development Hub (SharePoint).