Research Associate

Keele University; Keele; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Generous leave

Pension scheme

Development opportunities

On-site nursery

Health & fitness facilities on site

Cycle to Work

Job summary

Keele University invites applications for a Research Associate to join the Ruscoe Research Group in the School of Allied Health Professions and Pharmacy on an EPSRC New Investigator Award.

The successful candidate will engineer and screen enzymes, perform bacterial expression and assay development, and contribute to biocatalytic strategies for drug fragment functionalisation. A PhD in Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemistry or related discipline is required.

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemical Biology or related field is required.
• Experience expressing and purifying recombinant enzymes in bacteria preferred.
• Experience in protein engineering or directed evolution is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Express, engineer and screen enzymes for biocatalysis.
• Develop and optimise enzyme assays.
• Contribute to development of biocatalytic approaches for drug fragments.

Skills

Enzyme expression (bacteria)

Protein engineering

Directed evolution

Enzyme screening

Biochemical assays

Education

PhD in Chemical Biology / Biochemistry / Biotechnology / Chemistry

Tools

Protein purification

Cloning

Bacterial culture techniques

Job description

Research Associate

• Company: Keele University
• Salary: from £39,560 a year, pro rata
• Hours: Full-time
• Location: ST5 5BG
• Working pattern: On-site
• Job type: Temporary
• Posting date: 16 Oct 2026
• Closing date: 15 Nov 2026

Summary

Full Time / Fixed Term (12 Months)

The Opportunity

This post represents an exciting opportunity for a motivated researcher to join the Ruscoe Research Group within Keele University's School of Allied Health Professions and Pharmacy, as part of an EPSRC New Investigator Award.

The successful candidate will contribute to an interdisciplinary research programme at the interface of chemical biology and synthetic chemistry. The project will focus on the engineering of enzymes to enable the functionalisation of fragment-based drug molecules, with the aim of developing new biocatalytic approaches for the synthesis and modification of complex molecular scaffolds.

The post holder will be responsible for the expression, engineering and screening of enzymes to identify biocatalysts capable of carrying out novel functionalisation reactions on drug fragments. The role will involve enzyme expression in bacterial systems, assay development and optimisation, protein engineering and directed evolution.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemistry or a closely related discipline, together with experience in the expression and purification of recombinant enzymes in bacterial systems. Experience in protein engineering and/or directed evolution would be highly desirable.

The Benefits

The University recognises that its success depends upon the contribution and dedication of its talented staff. In return, we have a competitive benefits package available, including:

• Competitive rate of pay with annual increments within the grade 7 (Keele Spine)
• Generous annual leave entitlement with opportunities to purchase additional leave
• Excellent staff pension scheme
• Access to continued personal, professional and career development
• On site 'outstanding' nursery
• Discounted health & fitness facilities on site
• Cycle to Work scheme (subject to eligibility)

Please note that the starting salary will typically be at the bottom of the pay scale shown above.

The University is committed to operating flexible working practices wherever possible.

The University

Keele University is renowned for its exciting approach to higher education, innovative research, beautiful campus, strong community spirit and excellent student experience. With a turnover in excess of £170 million, over 15,000 students and a total staff of approximately 2000, the University provides high-quality teaching across a wide range of academic and vocational subjects and promotes world-class research. Further information can be found at https://www.keele.ac.uk/about/

Keele University is committed to the principles of the Athena SWAN charter, and values equity and diversity across our workforce. We strive to ensure that our workforce is representative of broader society, and therefore, we would actively welcome applications from women for this role.

Keele University values equity and diversity across our workforce and to ensuring our staff community is reflective of the diversity of our student population. In support of these commitments the University welcomes applications from individuals of Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds for all roles.

Please note this appointment is subject to medical clearance by the University's Occupational Health provider.