Senior Scientific Officer

CRUK Scotland Institute; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A cancer research institute in Glasgow is seeking a Senior Scientific Officer for a fixed-term contract of 18 months. The role involves independently conducting experiments, primarily in molecular biology and gene-editing techniques. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and experience in sterile cell culture. Strong communication and project management skills are essential. Competitive salary and comprehensive employee benefits, including substantial annual leave and a pension scheme, are offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary

40.5 days annual leave

Defined contribution pension scheme

Free life assurance scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Interest free season ticket loans

Cycle to work scheme

Access to employee benefit schemes

Qualifications

• Experience operating under sterile cell culture conditions.
• Ability to work independently and reproduce results.
• Willing to learn new skills and techniques.

Responsibilities

• Conduct grant-driven experiments independently.
• Contribute to experimental design and consult with researchers.
• Analyse data and present results.

Skills

Molecular biology methods

Cell culture

Communication skills

Project management

Organisational skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biotechnology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology or similar

Tools

GraphPad Prism

R

Python

Jupyter Notebooks

Job description

Senior Scientific Officer – Dr Patricia Centeno & Prof Owen Sansom

Salary: From £28,344 to £45,357 based on qualification and experience.

Contract: 18 months fixed term contract

About us

The CRUK Scotland Institute is a cancer research institute, situated in Glasgow with approximately 250 researchers split across 30 research groups consisting of PIs, postdoctoral scientists, PhD students and scientific officers. It is one of Europe’s leading cancer research centres, supporting cutting‑edge work into the molecular mechanisms of cancer development. As well as core support from Cancer Research UK, the Institute also receives an additional third of its total income from external grants and industry collaborations. It has an excellent reputation for fundamental cancer research, including world‑class metabolism studies and renowned in‑vivo modelling of tumour growth and metastasis.

Position outline

We are recruiting a Senior Scientific Officer for a British Skin Foundation Award project under the supervision of Dr Patricia Centeno within Prof Owen Sansom’s group. This position involves independently conducting grant‑driven experiments, contributing to experimental design, consulting with other researchers, analysing data, and presenting and reporting results. You will primarily conduct in vitro experiments using molecular biology and gene‑editing techniques, as well as proteomics, in primary and immortal human cell lines and archived mouse tissue samples.

The goal of this grant is to investigate melanoma initiation and niche cross‑talk in different contexts.

Candidate Profile

Essential

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biotechnology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology or a similar field and some relevant work experience.
• Experience operating under sterile cell culture conditions.
• A solid understanding of basic molecular biology methods (e.g., Western blotting, PCR, and immunohistochemistry).
• Ability to work independently, to a high standard, with good reproducibility of results.
• Highly motivated and have good communication, project management and organisational skills.
• Willing to learn new skills and techniques.

Desirable

• Experience in proteomics and cancer models would be advantageous.
• Competent computer skills, including relevant scientific and analytical software (e.g., GraphPad Prism, R, Python or Jupyter Notebooks).

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Our vision is to build and maintain a diverse and inclusive research culture based on our shared values of Innovate, Respect, Integrity, Teamwork and Excellence. These values, which underpin our behaviours and everything we do, allow all our people to realise their full potential. The diversity of our staff and students is also what makes the Institute such a vibrant place to work and advance discoveries in cancer research. Family friendly policies, our collaborative ethos, a focus on good mental health and well‑being and opportunities for all help to create an enjoyable and inclusive workplace where your voice matters.

Employee Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 40.5 days annual leave including bank holidays (FTE)
• Defined contribution pension scheme
• Free life assurance scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Additional maternity pay for 6 months at full salary
• Shared parental leave including up to 6 weeks paid at full salary
• Cycle to work scheme saving tax and NI on cycle purchase and spreading repayments over up to 12 months
• Access to employee benefit schemes with discounts on supermarkets, cinema, travel and much more.
• On‑site secure parking

For informal enquiries, please email Dr Patricia Centeno ([e-mail]).

All applications must be made via our website: https://www.crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk/careers/scientific-officers.html

Closing Date

6th of February 2026, but we may contact promising candidates on a rolling basis, so please apply as soon as you are ready.