Chemist

Cranleigh Scientific; Oxford; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in Oxford is seeking a Development Chemist to join their R&D team. In this hands-on lab role, you will focus on synthesizing and improving heterogeneous catalysts, with responsibilities including scaling up lab methods and analyzing experimental results. Ideal candidates hold an MSc or PhD in a relevant field and possess hands-on experience in catalyst synthesis. The position offers a competitive salary of £35,000 - £45,000, with additional benefits such as an annual bonus, pension contributions, and 25 days of holiday.

Benefits

Annual bonus

Employer pension contribution

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Opportunity to work on innovative technology

Qualifications

• Experience in making heterogeneous catalysts or inorganic materials is essential.
• Ability to analyze results and iterate experiments is important.
• Experience outside pure academia is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Make heterogeneous catalyst powders using different methods.
• Scale synthesis from lab experiments to larger batches.
• Keep clear lab records and comply with safety standards.

Skills

Hands-on experience making heterogeneous catalysts

Confidence working in a lab

Curiosity and practical mindset

Education

MSc or PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related subject

Tools

XRD

BET

SEM

Job description

An Oxford-based technology company is developing new catalytic processes to turn waste carbon into useful fuels and chemicals. The team is now moving from small-scale lab work towards larger batch production and early pilot activity, and they’re looking to bring in a chemist who enjoys being hands-on in the lab and wants to grow with the technology.

Chemist / Development Chemist

Location : Oxford

£35,000 - £45,000

Role : Full-time, Permanent

This role would suit someone who wants to focus on making and improving catalysts, not just analysing them.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll be part of a small R&D team working on the synthesis and development of heterogeneous catalysts. The focus is on preparing catalyst powders, improving how they’re made, and scaling up lab methods so they actually work in practice.

This is a practical, lab-based role where your work feeds directly into how the technology develops.

Key responsibilities

• Making heterogeneous catalyst powders using methods such as precipitation and impregnation
• Scaling synthesis from gram-scale experiments to larger lab batches
• Modifying catalyst compositions and preparation routes to improve performance and consistency
• Carrying out supporting characterisation to understand what you’ve made
• Analysing results and feeding ideas back into the next round of experiments
• Keeping clear lab records and working safely (COSHH, SOPs, risk assessments)

What we’re looking for

• MSc (minimum) or PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related subject
• Hands-on experience making heterogeneous catalysts or inorganic materials
• Confidence working in a lab and iterating experiments based on results
• Someone curious, practical, and comfortable working in a small, fast-moving team

Nice to have

• Exposure to CO₂ conversion, syngas or Fischer–Tropsch chemistry
• Familiarity with techniques like XRD, BET or SEM
• Any experience outside pure academia (industry, scale-up projects, collaborations)

What’s on offer

• £35,000 – £45,000 salary
• Annual bonus
• Employer pension contribution
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• A chance to work on technology that’s moving out of the lab and into the real world
• The opportunity to build rare, in-demand skills in catalyst synthesis and scale-up

Interested?

Send over your CV or get in touch via email