Microfluidics Engineer in Banbury

We are partnering with a medical device company in Oxford, based in the Magdalen Centre, Littlemore, developing a culture-free in vitro diagnostics platform for rapid bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing direct from whole blood. The technology integrates Raman spectroscopy, spiral microfluidics separation, and machine learning-driven spectral analysis to deliver clinically actionable results in a fraction of the time required by conventional blood cultural workflows. The technology has demonstrated excellent performance in laboratory validation, and they are now advancing through a prototyping and pilot study phase, with regulatory submissions planned under FDA and EU IVDR pathways.

Microfluidics sits at the heart of our platform: it is how they take whole blood and deliver clean, concentrated, viable cells to the optical system. The person they hire will join a small, close-knit microfluidics team and have a direct and lasting influence on how their sample-preparation technology is designed, de-risked, and manufactured at scale.

About the Role

• Contribute to the design and optimisation of microfluidic devices and flow systems across our bacterial ID, AST, and fungal applications.
• Design, build, and test prototypes, including experimental validation on biological samples.
• Plan and run structured experiments and characterisation studies (e.g. design of experiments) to quantify performance and process robustness.
• Analyse system performance and troubleshoot fluidic behaviour, using data to drive design decisions.
• Develop and qualify cartridge sealing, bonding, and surface-treatment strategies working with internal teams and external partners.
• Contribute to improving robustness, reliability, and scalability of devices.
• Design for manufacture and scale-up, translating prototypes into robust, high-yield designs suited to volume-replication routes.
• Engage with external fabrication and manufacturing partners.
• Take ownership of specific subsystems or experiments from concept through testing and iteration.
• Make engineering trade-offs between performance, manufacturability, and cost.
• Work within the QMS, moving fluidly between rapid prototyping and regulated product development.
• Create sub-system requirements from overall system and product requirements, and develop microfluidic systems that meet both.
• Ensure engineering concepts are grounded in biological reality, working closely with our scientists.
• Plan, capture, and record design rationale, protocols, and results in clear engineering documentation to support verification, validation, and regulatory submission.

About the Candidate

• Essential
• Degree in engineering, physics, or a related quantitative discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics or transport phenomena.
• Proven hands-on experience with experimental systems or prototyping; designing, building, and testing physical devices, fluidic systems, or experimental hardware, ideally in a commercial setting.
• Ability to operate independently, prioritise in a fast-moving startup environment, and communicate concepts clearly to colleagues with backgrounds in other disciplines.
• Confident integrating into a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and clinicians.
• Pragmatic problem solver who is open to constructive challenge with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Desirable
• Experience with microfluidics, lab-on-chip systems, or small-scale fluid systems.
• Familiarity with CAD, preferably Solidworks.
• Experience scaling microfluidics systems for high volume manufacture.
• Familiarity with microfabrication and replication techniques and the tolerances they impose.
• Experience with surface functionalisation, bonding and sealing of polymers.
• Experience handling biological samples (e.g. blood or cell suspensions) and associated safety practice.
• Familiarity with design of experiments (DOE) and statistical analysis of test data.
• Experience developing microfluidic devices coupled with optical detection and analytical workflows.
• Working knowledge of (one or more) ISO 13485:2016, ISO 14971, EU IVDR, and FDA 21 CFR Part 820.
• Experience in an early-stage startup or spin-out environment experiencing rapid growth.