Senior Scientist, Biotechnology - Pathogen

At EIT, we're seeking an experienced and detail-orientated Senior Scientist, Biotechnology, to contribute to the early-stage development of a device-based metagenomic pathogen detection platform within EIT Oxford's Pathogen Programme. This work focuses on establishing proof of concept for a modular workflow enabling infectious disease diagnosis at or near the point of care. In this laboratory-based role, you will design and execute hypothesis-led experiments to interrogate and iteratively refine nucleic acid extraction, purification, and manipulation workflows within a fluidic device architecture. You will apply quantitative characterisation, controlled comparisons, and mechanistic insight to drive system-level improvements and systematically reduce technical uncertainty through disciplined, evidence-based experimentation. You will bring strong expertise and demonstrable experience developing nucleic acid handling or enzyme-based systems. Experience with surface chemistry, microfluidic environments, polymer or material interfaces, or low-input nucleic acid workflows is advantageous. You should be comfortable operating in an exploratory, data-driven research environment, using structured experimentation, quantitative analysis, and rapid, evidence-guided iteration to navigate ambiguity and progress early-stage technology development.,

• Designing and executing statistically robust, hypothesis-driven experiments with appropriate controls to isolate key variables and generate reproducible, decision-informing data.
• Applying structured experimental design approaches (e.g. factorial design, parameter sweeps, sensitivity analysis) to systematically explore design space and identify critical performance drivers.
• Investigating the physicochemical principles underlying nucleic acid adsorption, elution, surface interactions, and partitioning within device materials and reagent systems.
• Characterising enzyme-substrate interactions under non-ideal conditions, including the effects of inhibitors, ionic strength, crowding, and surface chemistry on catalytic efficiency and fidelity.
• Developing and applying quantitative analytical frameworks to define performance metrics, establish baselines, and guide iterative optimisation across workflow stages.
• Systematically identifying sources of variability and technical risk, quantifying their impact, and prioritising mitigation strategies based on experimental evidence and expected effect size.
• Translating mechanistic findings into clear design recommendations that inform workflow architecture, reagent formats, surface treatments, and fluid handling strategies during iterative prototype development.
• Working closely with engineers to align biochemical and chemical requirements with device design constraints and integration priorities.
  
  PhD (or equivalent experience) in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Bioengineering, Biotechnology, or a closely related discipline.
• Deep expertise in characterising biomolecular systems, including quantitative analysis of enzyme kinetics, binding interactions, and nucleic acid chemistry under non-ideal or constrained conditions.
• Demonstrated ability to design controlled experiments that distinguish mechanistic effects from artefact in complex, multi-variable systems.
• Experience with surface functionalisation and bioconjugation strategies, including immobilisation of polynucleotides, enzymes, antibodies, or other biomolecules onto solid supports or device-relevant materials.
• Strong understanding of nucleic acid purification, separation, and manipulation, including the chemical principles governing adsorption, elution, and stability.
• Hands-on experience in assay development and analytical method development using quantitative performance criteria, reproducibility standards, and data-driven decision making.
Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
• Experience quantifying non-nucleic acid chemical species (e.g. inhibitors, contaminants, residual reagents) within multi-step laboratory workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to interrogate the physicochemical behaviour of polynucleotides, enzymes, and related analytes within complex or miniaturised systems.
• Familiarity with library preparation chemistries and sequencing workflows, including Oxford Nanopore and other next-generation sequencing platforms, with awareness of upstream chemical constraints affecting downstream performance.
• Experience working with microfluidic systems, polymer interfaces, or material-biomolecule interactions.
Key Attributes: Scientific and Technical Expertise
• Proven ability to design, implement, and troubleshoot bioconjugation and surface-based assays within integrated workflows.
• Experience quantifying and mitigating chemical carryover, inhibitory species, or cross-contamination in complex, multi-stage processing systems.
• Familiarity with biosafety practices and sterile technique for handling human-derived or high-pathogen environmental samples.
• Evidence of innovation and technical leadership in early-stage technology development (e.g. patents, publications, translational research contributions, or commercial product development).
Team Working and Project Management
• Ability to define experimental workstreams, set measurable technical objectives, and deliver clear outputs aligned with programme milestones.
• Experience communicating quantitative and mechanistic findings in a manner that informs engineering and architectural decisions.
• Demonstrated cross-disciplinary collaboration across biology, chemistry, engineering, data science, or related fields.
Soft Skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset with a disciplined, evidence-led experimental approach.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to prioritise work based on impact, manage multiple parallel investigations, and operate effectively in a rapidly evolving research environment.
  
  At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we're on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity's greatest challenges in four transformative areas:
• Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
• Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
• Climate Change & Managing CO
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
This is ambitious work - work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you'll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society. Explore more at www.eit.org. Welcome to the Pathogen Project: Within this ecosystem, the Pathogen Mission exemplifies EIT's commitment to transformative science. It aims to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases by leveraging whole genome sequencing (WGS)-based metagenomic and pathogen-specific analytical tools. This remit includes the development of a decentralised, sample-to-answer sequencing diagnostic platform for infectious diseases, enabling rapid and accurate analysis of patient samples without prior assumptions. Supported by Oracle Inc.'s cloud-computing scale and security infrastructure, the Pathogen Mission is progressing towards certified diagnostic products for deployment in laboratories, hospitals, and public health organisations worldwide.

Our Benefits:
• Salary: Competitive + travel allowance + bonus
• Enhanced holiday pay
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box
• Electric Car Scheme
Working Together - What It Involves:
• You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary. In certain cases, we can consider sponsorship, and this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
• For this role we would expect someone to be fully on site in Oxford
• You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford (or be willing to relocate).