Research Scientist

Blackfield Associates; Normanton on Trent; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Blackfield Associates is supporting a pharmaceutical company for an Associate Scientist / Research Scientist on a 12-month contract in the Drug Substance Process Sciences team. This laboratory-based role focuses on upstream process development for biologics, including mammalian cell culture, process optimisation, scale-up and characterisation.

You will work with CHO cell culture, Ambr systems and lab bioreactors across microscale to pilot scale, applying QbD/DoE to drive process understanding

Qualifications

• MSc in Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Bioprocess Engineering or related field or BSc with experience.
• Experience in mammalian cell culture and biologics process development.
• Hands-on CHO cell culture and therapeutic protein production experience.
• Experience with Ambr systems and lab-scale bioreactors.
• Knowledge of cell culture scale-up and process characterisation.
• Experience applying DoE and statistical data analysis tools.
• Strong scientific problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Automation, digital tools and data management experience is advantageous.
• Understanding GMP/GSP, data integrity and quality needs.
• Strong planning, organisational, communication and technical writing skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, plan and execute upstream process development studies using QbD and DoE approaches.
• Perform mammalian cell culture experiments using shake flasks, Ambr systems and lab bioreactors.
• Analyse and interpret data; prepare technical reports, protocols and project summaries; communicate findings to teams.
• Collaborate with Cell Line Development, Analytical Sciences, Downstream Development, Manufacturing and external partners.

Skills

Cell culture

Process development

DoE analysis

Statistical tools

Automation

Data management

GMP knowledge

Technical writing

Scale-up

Project collaboration

Education

MSc in Biotech or related

BSc with relevant experience

Tools

Ambr systems

Lab bioreactors

Shake flasks

Data analysis software

Job description

We are currently supporting a pharmaceutical company with an opportunity for an Associate Scientist / Research Scientist to join their Drug Substance Process Sciences team on a 12-month contract.

This is a laboratory-based role supporting upstream process development for biologics, with a focus on mammalian cell culture, process optimisation, scale-up and process characterisation. You’ll work within a multidisciplinary team and gain exposure to advanced cell culture technologies, high-throughput platforms and bioreactor systems ranging from microscale through to pilot scale.

Key experience:

• MSc in Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Bioprocess Engineering or a related discipline, or BSc with relevant industrial experience
• Experience in mammalian cell culture and biologics process development
• Hands-on experience with CHO cell culture and therapeutic protein production
• Experience operating Ambr® systems and/or laboratory-scale bioreactors
• Knowledge of cell culture scale-up principles and process characterisation
• Experience applying DoE and statistical data analysis tools
• Strong scientific problem-solving and troubleshooting skills
• Experience with automation, digital tools and data management systems would be advantageous
• Understanding of GMP/GSP, data integrity and quality requirements
• Strong planning, organisational, communication and technical writing skills

Desirable experience:

• Experience with perfusion or ATF processes, technology transfer, manufacturing support, downstream processing or integrated process development would be advantageous.

The role:

• You’ll design, plan and execute upstream process development studies, using QbD and DoE approaches to support process optimisation and characterisation.
• You’ll perform mammalian cell culture experiments using shake flasks, Ambr® systems and laboratory-scale bioreactors, supporting scale-up, scalability assessments, process troubleshooting and technology transfer activities.
• You’ll analyse and interpret experimental data, prepare technical reports, protocols, presentations and project summaries, and communicate findings and recommendations to project teams and stakeholders.
• The role will involve collaboration with Cell Line Development, Analytical Sciences, Downstream Development, Manufacturing and external partners, as well as contributing to continuous improvement, laboratory best practices and the evaluation of emerging technologies.