University of Nottingham
GlycoCell Technical Specialist (Fixed Term)
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Area
Life Sciences
Location
UK Other
Salary
£29,740 to £36,446 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
Closing Date
Sunday 23 August 2026
Reference
MED2030126
We are delighted to welcome applications for a GlycoCell Technical Specialist to join us at the Nottingham Engineering Biology Labs, as a core member of the GlycoCell UKRI Engineering Biology Mission Hub!
This is a great opportunity to join the GlycoCell team and perform exciting, high-impact research as part of the UK's flagship new initiative and large investment in transformative Engineering Biology. GlycoCell is applying Engineering Biology approaches with glycoscience to develop vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
Press releases:
- https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/glycocell-engineering-biology-mission-hub
- https://www.ukri.org/news/new-100m-fund-will-unlock-the-potential-of-engineering-biology/
GlyoCell webinar video:
GlycoCell is a collaborative, multidisciplinary consortium spanning six UK academic institutions and industrial partners which interact extensively as part of the research programmes. This is an excellent career opportunity for those interested in innovative research leading to real-world impact, offering involvement in a dynamic team environment with opportunities for ongoing training and skills development. Prof John Heap is Principal Investigator of GlycoCell, and the University of Nottingham is the lead Research Organisation.
About The Role
The successful applicant will be part of a large team of Research Associates/Fellows, PhD students, technical specialists, managers and academics working on excellent research with real impacts.
A main focus of this role will be in running and maintaining the GlycoForge platform facility. GlycoForge is an innovative new type of focused biofoundry, developed by the GlycoCell team to enable high-throughput, low-cost and reproducible development of glycan-based biomedicines at scale. Featuring purpose-built, intuitive software and dedicated workstreams, GlycoForge has the capacity to rapidly generate prototype vaccines against diverse bacterial pathogens and all of their variants and as such is helping to accelerate responses to emerging infectious disease threats, antimicrobial resistance, and strengthen epidemic preparedness. GlycoForge facility is both a working facility and a demonstrator with frequent external visitors.
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The role holder will contribute to research projects and operation of the labs and facilities, working closely with senior team members, the GlycoForge development team, and other researchers and users, including at our external collaborators and partners. The appointee will conduct work using approaches appropriate to the role, both applying approaches and systems already established in the group and building on these. Training in necessary specialist techniques will be provided to the role holder by team members.
About Us
We are passionate about impact, so as well as doing and publishing excellent research, we often work with industry, and we undertake all steps of the innovation pipeline from ideation and invention through to commercialisation, including licensing our technologies to industry and founding startup companies to drive impact. Our research environment provides great opportunities for candidates interested in these aspects.
We are housed in the Biodiscovery Institute, the University of Nottingham’s flagship 800-researcher research complex on the leafy University Park campus. This very well-equipped and well-resourced facility is the perfect home for our research cluster.
Our Nottingham Engineering Biology Labs research cluster is a friendly, welcoming, inclusive and supportive research environment, with a great positive culture. Our members engage with furthering equality, diversity, and inclusion through our activities both within Nottingham and nationally. We are proud that both the University of Nottingham and our home School of Life Sciences hold Athena Swan Gold awards for advancing gender equality.
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Employment details
This position is offered on a full-time (36.25 hours per week), fixed term contract until 13 February 2029 (with the possibility of extension subject to further funding), and will start in October 2026.
Please contact Professor John Heap: john.heap@nottingham.ac.uk if you have further questions about this role. Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.
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Job Description/Role Profile
Our university is a supportive, inclusive, caring and positive community. We welcome those of different cultures, ethnicities and beliefs – indeed this very diversity is vital to our success, it is fundamental to our values and enriches life on campus. Visit our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion website.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) employer. Increasing the diversity of our community is extremely important to us and we are committed to the aims of Disability Confident Scheme.
We are the first university to have achieved Athena Swan Gold Award.
To help you succeed, we published Candidate Guidance to provide support on the application and interview process.
Discover our benefits, visit Your Benefits website.
We welcome applications from UK, Europe and worldwide and aim to make your move to the UK as smooth as possible. Visit the Moving to Nottingham page for details.
Your application will be considered on an equal basis, subject to the relevant permission to work in the UK as set out by UK Visas & Immigration.
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