BioTalent
Principal / Senior Scientist, Assay Development (RNA & Selection Technologies)
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Principal / Senior Scientist, Assay Development (RNA & Selection Technologies)
Cambridge, UK | On-site hybrid - weekly
We're working with an innovative biotechnology company developing next-generation molecular discovery platforms at the intersection of synthetic biology, RNA engineering and high-throughput screening.
As the platform continues to scale, we are looking for an experienced Principal or Senior Assay Development Scientist to take ownership of complex assay development programmes and help drive the evolution of advanced RNA and selection-based technologies.
This is a highly hands-on scientific leadership role where you'll be responsible for improving assay performance, reproducibility, throughput and scalability while collaborating closely with teams spanning automation, bioinformatics and platform development.
What you'll be doing
- Lead the optimisation, validation and scale-up of complex screening and selection platforms.
- Design studies to understand assay performance, identify sources of variability and implement improvements.
- Develop robust controls, standards, spike-ins and quality metrics to support reliable data generation.
- Build scalable workflows suitable for automation and high-throughput operation.
- Work closely with bioinformatics teams to support analysis of screening and NGS-generated datasets.
- Collaborate with automation and technology teams to industrialise laboratory workflows.
- Author protocols, SOPs, technical reports and validation documentation.
- Provide technical leadership, troubleshooting support and mentoring to scientists across the organisation.
- Contribute to platform strategy and future technology development.
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What we're looking for
- PhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemistry or a related discipline.
- Significant industry experience in assay development, screening technologies, directed evolution platforms, selection technologies or related areas.
- Proven experience developing, optimising and validating complex molecular biology or biochemical assays.
- Strong hands-on expertise in RNA and nucleic-acid technologies, including:
- RNA handling
- In vitro transcription
- Reverse transcription
- qPCR
- Primer and probe design
- Magnetic bead workflows
- NGS library preparation
- Strong understanding of assay robustness, sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility and experimental bias.
- Experience implementing controls, standards and quality frameworks for quantitative assays.
- Ability to analyse and interpret complex biological datasets, including NGS-based screening data.
- Strong scientific judgement and a data-driven approach to problem solving.
- Excellent communication skills and experience working across multidisciplinary teams.
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Particularly interesting backgrounds
Candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas would be highly relevant:
- mRNA display
- Ribosome display
- Phage display
- Directed evolution technologies
- Deep mutational scanning
- High-throughput screening platforms
- RNA biology
- Synthetic biology
- Genetic code expansion
- Translation systems
- Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases
- Library screening technologies
Additional experience in assay automation, Design of Experiments (DoE), scale-up activities and assay transfer between teams or sites would be advantageous.
What's on offer
- Competitive salary
- Annual bonus opportunity
- Long-term incentive/equity participation
- Private healthcare and enhanced benefits package
- Opportunity to work on genuinely novel platform technologies
- High-impact role in a growing and well-funded biotechnology environment
- Flexible consideration of permanent, contract, full-time or part-time arrangements for exceptional candidates
This opportunity would suit someone who enjoys solving complex assay-development challenges, building robust scientific workflows and working at the forefront of next-generation molecular technologies.
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