Lead Scientist, Automated Diagnostics for Pathogen Platforms

Ellison Institute, LLC; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel allowance

Annual Bonus

Pension - employer contributions

Life Assurance

Income Protection

Private Medical Insurance

Employee discounts

Electric car scheme

Nursery Salary Sacrifice scheme

Cycle to Work Scheme

Family Planning

Neurodiversity support

Coaching & Therapy services

Job summary

Ellison Institute of Technology in Oxford seeks a Senior Scientist, Automated Diagnostic Systems, to translate molecular biology workflows into automated diagnostic platforms. You will lead development of automated metagenomic pathogen detection within the Pathogen Programme, spanning biology, chemistry, and engineering, and drive prototype maturation.

You will design robust experiments, optimize workflows for a fluidic device, and collaborate across disciplines to reduce technical risk and

Qualifications

• PhD (or equivalent industry experience) in Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Biochemistry, or a related discipline.
• Experience developing molecular biology workflows in industrial or translational R&D environments.
• Proven track record of automating or semi-automating molecular biology workflows.
• Experience integrating biological workflows into analytical, diagnostic, or cartridge-based platforms.
• Strong understanding of nucleic acid extraction, purification, and analysis across diverse sample types.
• Ability to design robust experiments and interpret results within complex systems.
• Experience identifying and resolving bottlenecks in integrated biochemical workflows.
• Strong understanding of assay performance, reproducibility, and quantitative development metrics.
• Experience balancing biological requirements with engineering constraints such as fluidics, automation, contamination control, and reagent stability.
• Proven ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams spanning biology, chemistry, and engineering.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute robust experiments to generate high-quality data and inform technical decisions.
• Translate molecular biology workflows into automated processes for integration within a diagnostic platform.
• Apply Design of Experiments (DoE) and quantitative methods to optimise workflow performance.
• Develop performance metrics and analytical frameworks to support iterative platform development.
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks, variability, and failure modes across integrated workflows.
• Generate insights that guide system design, including fluidics, reagents, automation, and overall architecture.
• Improve assay robustness, reproducibility, and scalability.
• Collaborate closely with biologists, chemists, and engineers to integrate biological workflows into automated systems.
• Provide technical leadership by defining experimental strategies, prioritising risks, and supporting prototype development.

Skills

Automation of workflows

Molecular biology workflows

DoE (design of experiments)

Data-driven decisions

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

System integration

Troubleshooting

Analytical instrumentation

Education

PhD in Biotechnology or related

Tools

Oxford Nanopore sequencing

Laboratory automation software

DoE software

Job description

Ellison Institute of Technology in Oxford seeks a Senior Scientist, Automated Diagnostic Systems, to translate molecular biology workflows into automated diagnostic platforms. You will lead development of automated metagenomic pathogen detection within the Pathogen Programme, spanning biology, chemistry, and engineering, and drive prototype maturation.

You will design robust experiments, optimize workflows for a fluidic device, and collaborate across disciplines to reduce technical risk and