R&D Scientist — Materials & Polymers (On‑Site, UK)

CooperVision; Southampton; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Pension scheme

Healthcare cover

Life assurance

Wellness Platform

Discounted contact lens scheme

LinkedIn Learning access

Job summary

CooperVision in Southampton, UK is seeking a Scientist to join the R&D team. The role focuses on designing and executing experimental research for novel materials, formulations and processes for contact lens applications, with hands-on work and close collaboration with the wider R&D group.

We require a strong scientific background with a BSc (3+ years) or MSc/PhD in relevant fields, plus excellent data analysis, literature interpretation, and technical communication.

Qualifications

• Sound grounding in scientific principles, experimental design, and data interpretation.
• Knowledge of research and development methodologies, with the ability to plan, execute, and interpret experiments.
• Knowledge of materials science, chemistry, polymer science, biomaterials, or related disciplines.
• Knowledge of experimental techniques and laboratory practices relevant to materials, formulations, chemistry, or related scientific disciplines.
• Bachelor of Science degree with minimum 3 years’ experience in Chemistry, Material Sciences, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, Biological Sciences or related field, or Master of Science degree in the listed subjects with minimum 2 years’ experience, or PhD in the listed subjects.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute experimental plans to investigate scientific questions and support development objectives.
• Support projects spanning early-stage research, technology development, and product development, managing assigned activities, deliverables, and timelines.
• Apply critical thinking to interpret results, identify issues, and recommend next steps.
• Analysing data using statistical techniques; prepare technical reports and presentations to communicate findings clearly.
• Contribute to generation and evaluation of new scientific ideas, technologies, and approaches aligned with project objectives.
• Identify technical challenges and contribute to problem-solving activities with an innovative approach.
• Contribute to continuous improvement in experimental methods and lab practices.
• Build technical expertise through literature review and awareness of developments.
• Support training, knowledge sharing, and onboarding activities within the team.

Skills

Apply scientific principles

Translate scientific understanding

Experimental planning

Data analysis

Technical report writing

Teamwork

Time management

Scientific communication

Education

Bachelor of Science with 3+ years in Chemistry/Material Sciences/Polymer Science/Chemical Engineering/Biology

Master of Science with 2+ years in listed subjects

PhD in listed subjects

Job description

CooperVision in Southampton, UK is seeking a Scientist to join the R&D team. The role focuses on designing and executing experimental research for novel materials, formulations and processes for contact lens applications, with hands-on work and close collaboration with the wider R&D group.

We require a strong scientific background with a BSc (3+ years) or MSc/PhD in relevant fields, plus excellent data analysis, literature interpretation, and technical communication.