Senior Molecular Microbiology Scientist — Lead & Innovate

Mars; Waltham on the Wolds; Remote; GBP 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mars University

Company bonus

Best-in-class learning & development

Job summary

Mars is seeking a Senior Laboratory Research Scientist to lead a small team of Laboratory Research Scientists and act as a subject matter expert within the laboratory. You will collaborate with peers and the Research team to generate insights and methods that support product innovation and Mars Petcare R&D.

You will oversee day-to-day operations, manage up to three scientists, and ensure compliance with Mars policies while delivering high-quality, robust research outputs for the WPSI and Mars

Qualifications

• PhD in Microbiology or Molecular Biology or equivalent with substantial experience.
• Hands-on experience with laboratory instruments and techniques incl. culturing and characterising novel species, competition assays, PCR, qPCR and RT-PCR.
• Experience handling bacterial genome data, building genome sequences from Illumina or long-read data.
• Desirable: host-microbe-nutrition interactions; experience with low biomass samples.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and day-to-day management for the designated laboratory area.
• Line manage up to 3 Laboratory Research Scientists.
• Collaborate with other experts to develop and implement analytical methods.
• Oversee lab operations and coordinate third-party equipment maintenance.
• Ensure activities follow Mars policies and maintain safety and quality standards.
• Maintain records using ELN and data systems.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing within the team and broader research community.

Skills

PCR

qPCR

RT-PCR

Culturing

Characterising

Assays

Education

PhD in Microbiology or Molecular Biology

Relevant degree with substantial experience

Tools

Illumina sequencing

Long-read sequencing

ELN software

Job description

Mars is seeking a Senior Laboratory Research Scientist to lead a small team of Laboratory Research Scientists and act as a subject matter expert within the laboratory. You will collaborate with peers and the Research team to generate insights and methods that support product innovation and Mars Petcare R&D.

You will oversee day-to-day operations, manage up to three scientists, and ensure compliance with Mars policies while delivering high-quality, robust research outputs for the WPSI and Mars