Senior Postdoctoral Scientist

Pirbright Institute; Pirbright; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Subsidised gym

Social club

Cycle to work

Subsidised staff restaurant

Childcare allowance

Free onsite parking

Electric car charging facilities

Job summary

Pirbright Institute in the UK seeks a senior researcher to lead applied programmes translating diagnostics and disease control. You will develop collaborations with public and industrial partners and deliver outputs with international impact.

You will work with scientists across reference laboratories, manage junior staff, and contribute to high-profile publications while advancing vibrant research in animal health and zoonoses.

Qualifications

• Excellent oral and written communication skills with funding bodies, peer-review groups and government agencies.
• Evidence of producing high-quality publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Networking skills with the ability to build effective collaborative relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a programme of applied research, aligning with reference laboratories.
• Develop collaborations with academic and industrial partners.
• Act as primary contact to establish and maintain collaborative partnerships within the group.
• Coordinate with research leaders to establish new methods and tools.
• Build capacity for diagnostic and disease control within laboratory networks.

Skills

Excellent communication

Publications in peer-reviewed journals

Networking and collaboration

Job description

ClosingDate:28August2026

ThePirbrightInstitute

ThePirbrightInstitutedeliversworld-leadingresearchtounderstand,predict,detectandrespondtoviraldiseaseoutbreaks.WestudyvirusesoflivestockthatareendemicandexotictotheUK,includingzoonoticviruses,byusingthemostadvancedtoolsandtechnologiestounderstandhost-pathogeninteractionsinanimalsandarthropodvectors.Ourmajorstrengthinunderstandingtheimmunesystemsoflivestockprovidesaplatformtocontrolcurrentdiseasesandrespondtoemergingthreats.Thisimportantresearchwouldnotbepossiblewithouttheproportionateuseofanimals,whichareintegraltothedevelopmentofnewdiseasecontrolmeasuressuchasvaccinesanddiagnostics.Wehaveanestablishment-widecommitmenttothe3Rs(replacement,reductionandrefinement),highstandardsofanimalwelfare,acultureofcareandopenness.

OurInstituteismadeupofadynamicandvibrantcommunityofstaffcoveringadiversesetofchosenfields,backgroundsandexperience.WeallplayacrucialroleinfurtheringtheInstitute’saspirations,advancingthefrontiersofscienceandknowledgethroughourexcellentscientificresearch,knowledgesharingandcontribution;witharealfocusinimprovingtheworldinwhichwelive.Ouroutlookisalwaysbalancedbyourstrongsenseofpurpose,valuesandbehavioursandanunwaveringcommitmenttoa‘oneInstitute’approach.

Organisationpositionandpurpose

SupportingourInternationalreferencelaboratoriesatVesicularDiseaseReferenceLaboratory ,WRLFMD andNon-VesicularReferenceLaboratory ,thispositionprovidesauniqueopportunitytodevelopacareeraimedattranslatingemergingdiagnostictechniquesandimproveddiseasecontrolapproachesthatarerelevantforboththeUKandcountriesreceivingoverseasdevelopmentassistance(ODA).Workingcloselywithscientistsengagedinfundamentalresearch,youwilldevelopaportfolioofprojectsthroughexistingandnewcollaborationswithpublicandindustrialpartners.Youwillactasaconduittopioneernewmethodsandestablishnewtools,andgenerateoutputswithinternationalimpacttoensureweachieveouraimofpredicting,detectingandcontrollingoutbreaksofviraldiseases.

Responsiblefordeliveryaprogrammeofappliedresearch,whichwillinclude:50%

• Deliveringscientificworkthattargetsthedevelopmentofnoveldiagnosticplatformsforlivestockdiseases.
• Ensuringresearchactivitiesalignwiththeprioritiesofthereferencelaboratories.
• Recognisingapplied-researchpotentialandimpactsarisingfromtheInstituteresearchportfolio.
• Withinthegroup,actingastheprimarycontacttoestablishandmaintaincollaborativepartnershipswithacademicandindustrialpartners
• IntegratingwithresearchleadersbasedattheInstitute.
• Buildingcapacityfordiagnosticanddiseasecontrolwithinlaboratorynetworks.

Contributetothemanagementofthereferencelaboratories:10%

• Directline-managementofjuniorstafftoensurethattheyaremotivatedtocontributetopriorityobjectives
• Committocontributetoon-callrotasforout-of-hourstesting(whereneeded)

Specificrequirements

• Evidenceofexcellentoralandwrittencommunicationskills,includingtheabilitytocommunicateeffectivelywithfundingbodies,peer-reviewgroups,governmentagencies
• Evidenceofproducinghighqualitypublicationsinpeer-reviewedjournals
• Evidenceofnetworkingskillswiththeabilitytobuildeffectivecollaborativerelationships

DuetothenatureoftheworkcarriedoutbyPirbright,allsuccessfulapplicantswillberequiredtogothroughacomprehensivescreeningprocessincludingreferenceandqualificationchecks,financialandsecurityclearances.

Whatweoffer

• Pirbrightgymwithsubsidisedmembership
• Pirbrightsocialclub
• Cycletowork
• Subsidisedstaffrestaurant
• Childcareallowance
• Freeonsiteparking
• ElectricCarchargingfacilities

Weacknowledge,understand,andembracediversity,equalityandinclusion