Senior Scientist, Automated Pathogen Diagnostics

Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel allowance

Annual Bonus

Pension 7.5%

Life Assurance

Income Protection

Private Medical Insurance

Employee discounts

Electric car scheme

Nursery scheme

Cycle to Work

Family Planning

Neurodiversity support

Coaching & Therapy

Job summary

Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) in Oxford is seeking a Senior Scientist, Automated Diagnostic Systems to develop a novel device-based metagenomic pathogen detection platform within the Pathogen Programme. You will translate molecular biology workflows into automated, integrated diagnostic systems.

You will lead development of workflows for nucleic acid extraction, purification, library preparation and sample processing within a fluidic device, reducing risk from concept to prototype while

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent industry experience in biotechnology, molecular biology, bioengineering or a related discipline.
• Experience developing molecular biology workflows in industrial or translational R&D environments.
• Proven track record of automating molecular biology workflows and integrating workflows into analytical/diagnostic platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute robust experiments to generate high-quality data and inform technical decisions.
• Translate molecular biology workflows into automated processes for integration within a diagnostic platform.
• Apply DoE and quantitative methods to optimise workflow performance.
• Develop performance metrics and analytical frameworks to support iterative platform development.
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks, variability, and failure modes across integrated workflows.
• Generate insights that guide system design, including fluidics, reagents, automation and architecture.
• Improve assay robustness, reproducibility and scalability.
• Collaborate with biologists, chemists and engineers to integrate workflows into automated systems.
• Provide technical leadership by defining experimental strategies and prioritising risks.

Skills

Molecular biology

Automation

Analytical instruments

DoE methods

Cross-disciplinary teams

Oxford Nanopore

Education

PhD in Biotechnology or related field

Tools

Cartridge-based platforms

Fluidics systems

Sequencing library prep automation

Job description

Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) in Oxford is seeking a Senior Scientist, Automated Diagnostic Systems to develop a novel device-based metagenomic pathogen detection platform within the Pathogen Programme. You will translate molecular biology workflows into automated, integrated diagnostic systems.

You will lead development of workflows for nucleic acid extraction, purification, library preparation and sample processing within a fluidic device, reducing risk from concept to prototype while