Upstream Bioprocessing Scientist/ Senior Scientist

Grade and Salary: Grade 6 () / Grade 7 () per annum

FTE and working pattern: 1FTE 35hrs per week Monday Friday

Contract: Fixed Term for 50 Months

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leaveplus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)

Detailed Description

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) are seeking to appoint a fulltime Upstream Bioprocessing Scientist or Senior Scientist who will be responsible for supporting and taking an active lead on microbial fermentation and mammalian cell culture (Upstream Bioprocessing) projects that are performed within the IBioICs FlexBio Bioprocessing Scaleup facility within HeriotWatt Universitys School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) and within the Institute of Biological Chemistry Biophysics and Bioengineering (IB3).

The role will be mostly labbased with some officebased work and primarily involves supporting fermentation and scaleup projects to ensure they are conducted for industry and academic clients in a safe professional timely and organised manner. The role holder is expected to work with the wider scaleup team (including downstream processing team) facility manager and IBioIC management team to ensure the scaleup facility facilitates the commercialisation of biotechnology projects and company from labscale to pilotscale using a feeforservice model of operation.

As a technically competent person in the field of microbiology and fermentation/cell culture/bioprocess engineering the role holder is required to support (grade 6) or lead (grade 7) on daytoday execution and planning of specific scaleup projects from tech transfer (establishment of lab scale processes in our facility (flask/spinner) into larger bioreactors (2 to 300L scale). The candidate will have direct contact with clients during the preparation planning execution evaluation and reporting stages of projects. The role involves supervision and training of technical staff and potential line management (grade 7 only) of technical staff being responsibility for their direct reports personnel management training and development as well as hands on participation in technical tasks as determined by the workload and technical expertise required.

The role holder will be line managed by the Upstream Bioprocessing Manager.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Project Management & Technical Delivery

Grade 7 (Senior Scientist):

• Lead the design and delivery of industryled fermentation and upstream bioprocessing projects including technology transfer process optimisation and protocol development.
• Independently plan manage and execute multiple lab to pilotscale fermentation projects ensuring timely delivery.
• Support and lead as required on interpretation of complex bioprocess data and report findings to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Provide strategic input on project design scope and future development with clients.

Grade 6 (Scientist):

• Support senior team members in project execution particularly in pilotscale fermentation and cell culture runs from labscale and into bioreactors.
• Assist in the implementation of new and established protocols and process optimisation tasks under guidance.
• Participate in data collection and analysis providing initial interpretation and contributing to team discussions.

Team Leadership & Mentoring

Grade 7:

• Linemanage and mentor junior staff ensuring workloads are aligned with project priorities and supporting their professional development.
• Take a lead in regular lab and operations meetings promoting collaborative problem solving and continuous improvement.

Grade 6:

• Act as a mentor to junior interns or students.
• Participate in team meetings and contribute ideas for process or facility improvements.

Client Engagement Project Design & Communication

Grade 7:

• Attend and contribute to client meetings often at short notice with the ability to ask indepth technical questions.
• Develop and propose bespoke work packages based on client process understanding and project goals.
• Communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and nontechnical audiences in both the preparation execution and reporting phases of projects.

Grade 6:

• Attend client meetings with senior staff for exposure and development.
• Contribute to preparation of client protocols method protocols presentations data summaries and progress reports.

Health & Safety and Facility Operations

Grade 7:

• Take the lead in developing and reviewing risk assessments Process COSHH documentation and maintaining a safe lab environment.
• Assist as required in coordinating preventative maintenance and troubleshoot equipment issues in liaison with suppliers.

Grade 6:

• Follow safety protocols and assist with the preparation of risk assessments and Process COSHH forms.
• Support facility maintenance tasks and log any equipment faults for senior staff followup.

Collaboration & Crossfunctional Integration

Grade 7:

• Lead and collaborate directly with DSP (downstream processing) colleagues prior to and during projects ensuring seamless project integration.
• Deputise for facility managers to represent FlexBIO in bioprocessing capabilities in new client and facility promotion meetings.

Grade 6:

• Collaborate with DSP and other teams on joint tasks or experiments as directed by senior staff.

Strategic Input & Funding Support

Grade 7:

• Contribute to funding bids particularly those related to equipment staffing or project expansion.
• Align technical project work with IBioICs strategic aims and objectives.

Grade 6:

• Provide supporting data or evidence for inclusion in bids and proposals.
• Contribute ideas for improving lab practices or services aligned with strategic goals.

Training & Knowledge Exchange

Grade 7:

• Design and deliver upstream bioprocessing training courses for industry and academia.
• Actively network at external events representing IBioIC as a subject matter expert.

Grade 6:

• Support delivery of training courses by preparing materials and helping during sessions.
• Attend networking events for professional development and relationship building.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Both Grades:

• Engage in relevant CPD activities to maintain and build expertise in fermentation and bioprocessing technologies.
• Keep up to date with biotechnology sector trends technologies and innovations.
• Take part in internal professional development courses

Education Qualifications and Experience

Essential Criteria

• Grade 6 BSc in Biotechnology microbiology fermentation science biochemical engineering or related discipline with at least 612 months working experience OR MSc in related bioprocessing discipline with hands on experience (36 months) eg. Work placement or internship.
• Grade 7 PhD in the above disciplines OR MSc with at least 5 years experience working within bioprocessing.
• Handson experience with labscale cell cultivation processes shake flask and/or small bioreactors (e.g. < 1L scale (both grades).
• Handson experience operating stirred tank bioreactors at lab or semipilot scale (e.g. 1L50L) Grade 7 only
• Strong technical knowledge of microbiology and microbial fermentation and/or cell culture processes (both grades)
• Excellent time management (both grades) and strong project management skills (Grade 7)
• Demonstrable experience working with a range of microbial and/or mammalian cell types (e.g. E. coli Pichia Bacillus fungi microalgae animal/human cells)
• Experience supporting (Grade 6) or leading and/or supervising (Grade 7) within teams (e.g. supervising students or technicians)
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills. Open and transparent communication style that works well in a team environment.

Additional Desirable Criteria if essential met

• Experience preventing identifying and troubleshooting contaminations (Grade 6: Support troubleshooting / Grade 7: Lead resolution)
• Understanding (grade 6) and experience (grade 7) of health and safety practices in a lab/pilot facility including risk assessments and COSHH
• Relevant lab or nonlab experience with administration: eg. procurement inventory cost tracking facility coordination (Grade 7: Significant lab experience with lab administration and organisation including improvements)
• Experience with mammalian or plant cell culture systems (both grades)
• Experience scaling up fermentation processes to 2L in stirred tank bioreactors (Grade 6: awareness beneficial / Grade 7: Strongly preferred)
• Experience operating microbial fermenters greater than 100 litre capacity (Grade 7 only)
• Familiarity with fermenter control systems and programming (e.g. cascade control of DO pH feeds) (Grade 7 only)
• Experience with mathematical/engineering principles for scaleup (e.g. k_LA shear stress tip speed)

(Grade 6: Awareness / Grade 7:Application and analysis)

• Understanding (Grade 6) or experience applying (Grade 7) of analytical techniques supporting fermentation and cell culture (e.g. OD HPLC GC metabolite profiling)
• Training related to assisting and leading on technical training courses (materials demonstrations talks) (Grade 6: Assist delivery / Grade 7: Design and lead)

About our Team

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) to accelerate the commercialisation of the industrial biotechnology sector in Scotland the UK and worldwide. IBioICs Bioprocessing ScaleUp Centre (FlexBio) based at Heriot Watt University (HWU) supports industry and academia allowing them the opportunity to execute scaleup studies using stateoftheart fermentation and downstream processing equipment.

Hosted within the Institute of Biological Chemistry Biophysics and Bioengineering (IB3) FlexBio provides clients with access to expertise and equipment to carry out semipilot scale fermentation and downstream processing. This primarily encompasses microbial culture at scales up to 300 litres along with a variety of downstream processing techniques for cell and molecule separation. These methods are used in the production of biobased products for various industrial biotechnology market segments and include whole cells as well as enzyme peptide and small moleculederived products.

Many of our industry client work within the exciting areas of biotechnology such as marine agriceuticals biomass carbon capture biomaterials and food all helping to deliver the national biotechnology plan and working towards netzero. Learn more about what we do to Apply

Please submit via the HeriotWatt online recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing their interest and suitability for the post; (2) Full CV

Applications can be submitted until midnight on Wednesday 28th May 2025.

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