Scientist, Biotechnology - Pathogen

At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we’re 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
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

This is ambitious work - 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. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society. Explore more at https://eit.org/.

Welcome to the Pathogen Project

Within this ecosystem, the Pathogen Mission exemplifies EIT’s commitment to transformative science. It aims to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases by leveraging whole genome sequencing (WGS)-based metagenomic and pathogen-specific analytical tools. This remit includes the development of a decentralised, sample-to-answer sequencing diagnostic platform for infectious diseases, enabling rapid and accurate analysis of patient samples without prior assumptions. Supported by Oracle Inc.’s cloud-computing scale and security infrastructure, the Pathogen Mission is progressing towards certified diagnostic products for deployment in laboratories, hospitals, and public health organisations worldwide.

Job Summary

At EIT, we are seeking a motivated, detail-focused 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 aims to establish proof of concept for a modular workflow that could enable infectious disease diagnosis at or near the point of care.

In this laboratory-based role, you will work closely with scientists and engineers to develop, refine and test modular components for nucleic acid extraction, purification and manipulation within a fluidic device architecture. As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will take ownership of generating high-quality data through well-designed experiments, evaluating system performance and informing iterative improvements.

You will bring practical experience in nucleic acid handling or enzyme-based systems, together with a strong interest in applying quantitative approaches to experimental biology. Alongside strong experimental execution, you will contribute to experimental design, data interpretation and troubleshooting, using structured, quantitative approaches to support decision-making. Experience with surface chemistry, microfluidics, material interfaces or low-input nucleic acid workflows would be advantageous. You should be comfortable working in a collaborative, data-driven research environment and solving problems in early-stage technology development. This role would suit someone with a strong technical foundation who is ready to deepen their scientific independence and broaden their impact in a multidisciplinary environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, execute and document well-controlled, hypothesis-driven experiments to generate reproducible, high-quality data.
• Optimise and refine experimental workflows to improve reliability, reproducibility and performance.
• Apply structured experimental approaches, such as controlled comparisons and parameter variation, to investigate system behaviour and identify key performance drivers.
• Investigate nucleic acid adsorption, elution and surface interactions across device materials and reagent systems.
• Evaluate enzyme performance and assay conditions, including the effects of inhibitors, buffer composition and environmental variables.
• Collect, analyse and interpret experimental data using quantitative methods to inform scientific, engineering and product development decisions.
• Identify sources of variability in workflows and contribute to improvements in consistency, robustness and usability.
• Maintain clear, well-structured experimental records and contribute to technical reports, data sharing and cross-functional discussions.
• Work closely with scientists and engineers to support the integration of biochemical workflows into device and system designs.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

We welcome applicants with a range of experiences and career paths. You may have gained relevant expertise in industry, applied research or academia.

• PhD, or equivalent industry experience, in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Bioengineering, Biotechnology or a related discipline.
• Strong hands-on laboratory experience in biochemistry, chemistry and/or molecular biology, with expertise in areas such as surface chemistry, material-biomolecule interactions, DNA binding dynamics, nucleic acid extraction or enzymatic activity assays.
• Strong understanding of experimental design, including the use of appropriate controls, reproducibility and data quality, and the ability to apply these principles in practice.
• Experience with molecular biology or biochemical techniques relevant to assay, workflow or platform development.
• Ability to analyse and interpret experimental data in a structured, quantitative manner.
• Experience troubleshooting experimental workflows and improving performance, robustness or reproducibility.
• Good laboratory practice, including careful documentation, protocol adherence and high attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team while taking ownership of individual experimental activities.

We recognise that candidates may not meet every listed criterion. If your experience aligns with most of the requirements and you are motivated by the mission, we encourage you to apply.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience in assay development or early-stage workflow optimisation.
• Experience working with complex or multi-step laboratory workflows.
• Exposure to surface chemistry, material-biomolecule interactions or microfluidic systems.
• Familiarity with surface functionalisation or bioconjugation approaches.
• Understanding of nucleic acid purification, separation or handling techniques.
• Awareness of sequencing technologies, including Oxford Nanopore and other next-generation sequencing platforms.

Key Attributes

Scientific and Technical Approach

• Methodical and detail-focused, with a strong commitment to generating reliable and reproducible data.
• Able to work within structured experimental plans while contributing ideas and observations.
• Eager to learn new techniques, build expertise and apply feedback constructively.

Team Working

• Collaborative and effective in multidisciplinary environments.
• Clear and confident in communicating experimental results, observations and technical issues.
• Open to shared problem-solving and cross-functional working.
• Proactive in identifying issues and suggesting practical improvements within defined workstreams.

Soft Skills

• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Analytical mindset with a strong interest in data-driven experimentation.
• Growing independence and sound judgement, including knowing when to seek input or alignment.
• Able to work effectively in a fast-paced research and development environment.

Our 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.
• You should be based in, or within reasonable commuting distance of Oxford. Or be willing to relocate for the role.
• We are committed to sustainable working practices. While occasional peak periods may require flexibility, we support balanced working arrangements and offer flexible working options where possible