Scientist I

The immune system is a fundamental determinant of human health, governing resilience to infection and shaping susceptibility to disease and response to treatment. Advances in our understanding of immune function have catalysed some of the most transformative breakthroughs in modern medicine, underpinning a new era of immunotherapies and immune-based interventions. At IMU Biosciences, our mission is to decode the immune system at unprecedented resolution and translate these insights into meaningful clinical impact.

As a Scientist I at IMU Biosciences, you will be embedded in the wet lab platform team and work closely with other scientists to generate high-quality, reproducible data, providing a new perspective on human immunology. You will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the next-gen spectral flow and single cell genomics IMU platform.

We are seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic, dedicated and collaborative scientist to join IMU. The successful candidate will be involved in conducting and helping to develop state of the art immune phenotyping assays on human blood and tissue samples from a variety of sources and will need to be comfortable working autonomously but also have excellent interpersonal skills to work as part of the team. Experience in relevant laboratory techniques including the isolation of blood immune cells and flow cytometry are essential. Relevant training and guidance will be provided by our team.

Our laboratory is situated in our head office in Canary Wharf. In this role you will need to be working at the lab/office in-person every weekday, during typical working hours.

Responsibilities

Day to day responsibilities:

• Perform assays to measure immune phenotype or function, including high parameter flow cytometry
• Perform isolation of cells from human blood samples
• Perform assays to prepare cells for single cell RNA sequencing
• Help with analysing, reporting and storing assay results
• Help maintain IMU lab quality control measures
• Perform and assess routine equipment quality control checks
• Help with problem-solving especially in the lab when procedures or events occurred that deviate from protocol or norm
• Establish priorities when involved in multiple projects and deliver on target
• Maintain consistent and regular progress reporting to senior staff members and have effective lines of communication with all colleagues by being proactive with providing updates regarding progress and also voicing ideas, inputs and feedbacks

Supporting responsibilities:

• Contribute to highly collaborative research projects, working closely with colleagues
• Help with general laboratory maintenance including aliquoting, stock checking, receiving and storing of deliveries, day-to-day maintenance and cleaning of instrument and equipment
• Provide technical and organisational support to the team and ensure that reagents are prepared, stored and used in an appropriate manner
• Coordinate sample shipment and receipt from our clients and partners

Continuous improvement and innovation of our practices:

• Help identify new methodologies and instrumentation for automation to optimise efficiency and reproducibility

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope, purpose and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge and experience

Essential Criteria:

• A minimum of BSc/MSc in biological science degree with relevant work experience
• Highly experienced in flow cytometry
• Familiar with working with human blood and tissue samples
• Able to work flexible hours when necessary to accommodate sample delivery schedules and R&D experiments
• Meticulous attention to detail and a strong focus on accuracy
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks to meet deadlines under pressure
• Proactive/autonomous
• Great problem-solving skills
• Eager and open to learning new skills at the cutting edge of immunology
• Good interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Passion for science and a commitment to scientific innovation

Desirable Criteria:

• Good knowledge of human immunology
• Familiar with immunophenotyping and immune data
• Experience with spectral flow cytometry
• Experience designing and performing experiments
• Experience using LIMS and ELN
• Knowledge of ISO 15189:2022 and ISO 13485
• Experience working in biotech or pharma space

Benefits:

• Competitive salary depending on experience
• Enroll in a pension scheme
• Bonus scheme
• Health insurance
• Group life assurance
• Group income protection
• Fast-paced startup culture where everyone’s perspective truly matters
• Excellent opportunities for advancement as the company grows
• Working on cutting edge of translational research
• Embedding in a talented multidisciplinary team

How to apply: Please apply directly on LinkedIn or send CV and cover letter to Jennie Yang (jennie@imubiosciences.com). Office/lab location = 20 Water Street, Canary Wharf, E14 5GX, UK.