Senior Scientist, Biotechnology - Pathogen in Oxford

At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we are on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity's greatest challenges in four transformative areas: Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology, Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture, Climate Change & Managing CO₂, and Artificial Intelligence & Robotics. This is ambitious work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you'll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs.

Welcome to the Pathogen Project. Within this ecosystem, the Pathogen Project exemplifies EIT's dedication to ground-breaking science. It seeks to transform pathogen risk management, detection and response by leveraging Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)-based metagenomic and pathogen-specific analytical tools. The goal is to power metagenomic devices using long-read sequencing technologies by building a comprehensive database of pathogen information to inform response. Enabled by Oracle Inc.'s cloud-computing scale and security, the Pathogen Project is advancing toward certified diagnostic tools for deployment in laboratories, hospitals, and public health organisations worldwide.

Your Role: At EIT, we are seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Senior Scientist, Biotechnology, to contribute to the early-stage development of a device-based metagenomic pathogen detection platform within EIT Oxford's Pathogen Programme. This work focuses on establishing proof of concept for a modular workflow enabling infectious disease diagnosis at or near the point of care. In this laboratory-based role, you will design and execute hypothesis-led experiments to interrogate and iteratively refine nucleic acid extraction, purification, and manipulation workflows within a fluidic device architecture. You will apply quantitative characterisation, controlled comparisons, and mechanistic insight to drive system-level improvements and systematically reduce technical uncertainty through disciplined, evidence-based experimentation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Designing and executing statistically robust, hypothesis-driven experiments with appropriate controls to isolate key variables and generate reproducible, decision-informing data.
• Applying structured experimental design approaches (e.g. factorial design, parameter sweeps, sensitivity analysis) to systematically explore design space and identify critical performance drivers.
• Investigating the physicochemical principles underlying nucleic acid adsorption, elution, surface interactions, and partitioning within device materials and reagent systems.
• Characterising enzyme-substrate interactions under non-ideal conditions, including the effects of inhibitors, ionic strength, crowding, and surface chemistry on catalytic efficiency and fidelity.
• Developing and applying quantitative analytical frameworks to define performance metrics, establish baselines, and guide iterative optimisation across workflow stages.
• Systematically identifying sources of variability and technical risk, quantifying their impact, and prioritising mitigation strategies based on experimental evidence and expected effect size.
• Translating mechanistic findings into clear design recommendations that inform workflow architecture, reagent formats, surface treatments, and fluid handling strategies during iterative prototype development.
• Working closely with engineers to align biochemical and chemical requirements with device design constraints and integration priorities.

Requirements:

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• PhD (or equivalent experience) in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Bioengineering, Biotechnology, or a closely related discipline.
• Deep expertise in characterising biomolecular systems, including quantitative analysis of enzyme kinetics, binding interactions, and nucleic acid chemistry under non-ideal or constrained conditions.
• Demonstrated ability to design controlled experiments that distinguish mechanistic effects from artefact in complex, multi-variable systems.
• Experience with surface functionalisation and bioconjugation strategies, including immobilisation of polynucleotides, enzymes, antibodies, or other biomolecules onto solid supports or device-relevant materials.
• Strong understanding of nucleic acid purification, separation, and manipulation, including the chemical principles governing adsorption, elution, and stability.
• Hands-on experience in assay development and analytical method development using quantitative performance criteria, reproducibility standards, and data-driven decision making.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Experience quantifying non-nucleic acid chemical species (e.g. inhibitors, contaminants, residual reagents) within multi-step laboratory workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to interrogate the physicochemical behaviour of polynucleotides, enzymes, and related analytes within complex or miniaturised systems.
• Familiarity with library preparation chemistries and sequencing workflows, including Oxford Nanopore and other next-generation sequencing platforms, with awareness of upstream chemical constraints affecting downstream performance.
• Experience working with microfluidic systems, polymer interfaces, or material-biomolecule interactions.

Key Attributes:

Scientific and Technical Expertise:

• Proven ability to design, implement, and troubleshoot bioconjugation and surface-based assays within integrated workflows.
• Experience quantifying and mitigating chemical carryover, inhibitory species, or cross-contamination in complex, multi-stage processing systems.
• Familiarity with biosafety practices and sterile technique for handling human-derived or high-pathogen environmental samples.
• Evidence of innovation and technical leadership in early-stage technology development (e.g. patents, publications, translational research contributions, or commercial product development).

Team Working and Project Management:

• Ability to define experimental workstreams, set measurable technical objectives, and deliver clear outputs aligned with programme milestones.
• Experience communicating quantitative and mechanistic findings in a manner that informs engineering and architectural decisions.
• Demonstrated cross-disciplinary collaboration across biology, chemistry, engineering, data science, or related fields.

Soft Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset with a disciplined, evidence-led experimental approach.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to prioritise work based on impact, manage multiple parallel investigations, and operate effectively in a rapidly evolving research environment.

Benefits:

• Salary: Competitive + travel allowance + bonus.
• Enhanced holiday pay.
• Pension.
• Life Assurance.
• Income Protection.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Hospital Cash Plan.
• Therapy Services.
• Perk Box.
• Electric Car Scheme.

Working Together - What It Involves:

• You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary.
• In certain cases, we can consider sponsorship, and this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
• For this role we would expect someone to be fully on site in Oxford.
• You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford (or be willing to relocate).