At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of innovative RNA and selection technologies in a hands-on scientific role.
- Company: Join a cutting-edge biotechnology company at the forefront of molecular discovery.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, annual bonuses, private healthcare, and flexible working arrangements.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for career growth and involvement in novel platform technologies.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by solving complex challenges in assay development and advancing technology.
- Qualifications: PhD in relevant field with significant industry experience in assay development and screening technologies.
The predicted salary is between 66150 - 80850 £ per year.
- Principal / Senior Scientist, Assay Development (RNA & Selection Technologies)
- Cambridge, UK | On-site hybrid - weekly
We're working with an innovative biotechnology company developing next-generation molecular discovery platforms at the intersection of synthetic biology, RNA engineering and high-throughput screening.
As the platform continues to scale, we are looking for an experienced
Principal or Senior Assay Development Scientist to take ownership of complex assay development programmes and help drive the evolution of advanced RNA and selection-based technologies.
This is a highly hands-on scientific leadership role where you'll be responsible for improving assay performance, reproducibility, throughput and scalability while collaborating closely with teams spanning automation, bioinformatics and platform development.
- What you'll be doing
- Lead the optimisation, validation and scale-up of complex screening and selection platforms.
- Design studies to understand assay performance, identify sources of variability and implement improvements.
- Develop robust controls, standards, spike-ins and quality metrics to support reliable data generation.
- Build scalable workflows suitable for automation and high-throughput operation.
- Work closely with bioinformatics teams to support analysis of screening and NGS-generated datasets.
- Collaborate with automation and technology teams to industrialise laboratory workflows.
- Author protocols, SOPs, technical reports and validation documentation.
- Provide technical leadership, troubleshooting support and mentoring to scientists across the organisation.
- Contribute to platform strategy and future technology development.
What we're looking for
- Ph D in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemistry or a related discipline.
- Significant industry experience in assay development, screening technologies, directed evolution platforms, selection technologies or related areas.
- Proven experience developing, optimising and validating complex molecular biology or biochemical assays.
- Strong hands-on expertise in RNA and nucleic-acid technologies, including:
- RNA handling
- In vitro transcription
- Reverse transcription
- q PCR
- Primer and probe design
- Magnetic bead workflows
- NGS library preparation
- Strong understanding of assay robustness, sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility and experimental bias.
- Experience implementing controls, standards and quality frameworks for quantitative assays.
- Ability to analyse and interpret complex biological datasets, including NGS-based screening data.
- Strong scientific judgement and a data-driven approach to problem solving.
- Excellent communication skills and experience working across multidisciplinary teams.
- Particularly interesting backgrounds
- Candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas would be highly relevant:
- m RNA display
- Ribosome display
- Phage display
- Directed evolution technologies
- Deep mutational scanning
- High-throughput screening platforms
- RNA biology
- Synthetic biology
- Genetic code expansion
- Translation systems
- Aminoacyl-t RNA synthetases
- Library screening technologies
Additional experience in assay automation, Design of Experiments (Do E), scale-up activities and assay transfer between teams or sites would be advantageous.
- What's on offer
- Competitive salary
- Annual bonus opportunity
- Long-term incentive/equity participation
- Private healthcare and enhanced benefits package
- Opportunity to work on genuinely novel platform technologies
- High-impact role in a growing and well-funded biotechnology environment
- Flexible consideration of permanent, contract, full-time or part-time arrangements for exceptional candidates
This opportunity would suit someone who enjoys solving complex assay-development challenges, building robust scientific workflows and working at the forefront of next-generation molecular technologies.
Principal / Senior Scientist, Assay Development (RNA & Selection Technologies) in Cambridge employer: BioTalent
Join a leading biopharmaceutical organisation in Slough, where innovation meets collaboration. As a Scientist in the Injectable Formulation Development team, you'll enjoy a dynamic work culture that fosters professional growth and encourages continuous improvement. With access to cutting-edge technology and a supportive environment, this role offers a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the development of life-changing therapies.
