Job Description
Note to recruiters: we only engage with external recruitment support through our list of preferred suppliers. We are not currently expanding this list. We are unable to respond to speculative applications and approaches from recruitment agencies. Thank you for your understanding.
A variety of soft skills and experience may be required for the following role Please ensure you check the overview below carefully.
Job description
Title: Senior Scientist, 40 hours per week – SE002.
Location: White City, London, UK.
Compensation: £45-55,000 plus equity, pension, health insurance and free lunch!
Posted date: April 29, 2024.
Closing date: May 29th, 2024.
Start date: June 15th, 2024, or before.
Company: Esox Biologics is a bio-tech company ensuring food security by improving the efficiency of aquaculture. We do this by preventing the spread of infectious diseases among aquatic animals. Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector yet aquatic veterinary medicine lacks innovative tools to detect and prevent the spread of aquatic pathogens. With more than ninety percent of aquatic microorganisms uncharacterised and undescribed by science, our Detect platform harnesses metagenomics to resolve this biological dark-matter and improve pathogen detection and prevention efforts for global aquaculture.
Role: We are hiring a Senior Scientist to join our Detect team for a full-time, lab-based roll. Our Detect platform enables clients to identify total microbiomes sampled from livestock and the environment surrounding each farm. Using shotgun metagenomics to resolve aquatic microbiomes, our Detect platform is the first to offer total microbiome resolution for aquatic veterinary medicine. We receive samples from a variety of environments in various forms and require total microbiomes to be extracted from each, preserving high-molecular weight nucleic acids, and ensuring maximum yields. You’ll play a central role in developing our R&D strategy by designing and executing experiments to enhance the services we offer clients while developing robust protocols and SOPs for other team members to follow.
Team: Esox Biologics is tight-knit and highly collaborative team of scientists, engineers and artists with a passion for translating innovative technologies into real-world solutions. Backed by private equity and generating revenue through our initial products, Esox Biologics is set to establish its position within aquatic veterinary medicine sector by transforming existing knowledge of aquatic microbiomes.
Responsibilities.
· R&D strategy: Support the development of our R&D strategy, designing and validating protocols and SOPs to enhance our existing services and develop new services while reducing operating costs.
· Sample preparation: Design protocols that optimise extracting high-molecular weight nucleic acid libraries from microbiomes within client samples.
· Lab management: Design SOPs and workflows for implementation within our lab and establish good laboratory practices while implementing and overseeing health and safety protocols.
· Collaboration with bioinformaticians: Work in close collaboration with the bioinformatics team to ensure the data generated during metagenomic sequencing experiments truly represents the community of microorganisms present within samples.
· Strategic Contribution to New Product Features: Actively contribute to the strategic planning and development of new product features, overseeing the journey from conceptualization to launch. This encompasses both leading innovative initiatives and enhancing existing functionalities to align with strategic business goals.
Requirements.
· Essential – PhD in Molecular Biology, Microbiology or equivalent with two years of relevant industry experience.
· Essential – A proven track-record in designing and executing peer-reviewed molecular biology experiments.
· Essential - Strong foundation next-generation sequencing with a proven track-record of designing NGS experimental workflows and implementing protocols.
· Essential - Excellent problem-solving skills, with a capacity for creative and innovative thinking in a collaborative research and development environment.
· Essential - Strong Independent work ethic.
· Essential – Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret complex datasets and clearly disseminate this to a lay-audience.
· Essential – Candidates must have the right to work and live in the UK. We are unable to sponsor visas currently.
· Desirable – Experience extracting high-molecular weight nucleic acid libraries from complex animals and environmental samples.
· Desirable – Experience with Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing infrastructure.
· Desirable – Familiarity with bioinformatics, computational biology particularly in manipulating and graphically presenting datasets.
· Desirable – An unusual passion for aquaculture, aquatic organisms, and sustainable food systems.
Technical Skills
· Must-Have: Experience with DNA/RNA extraction and purification, PCR, qPCR, molecular-cloning, next-generation sequencing on Illumina, PacBio or Oxford Nanopore platforms.
· Nice-to-Have: Familiar with designing and implementing experimental plans and protocols on Benchling software or equivalent.
All staff at Esox Biologics are expected contribute towards our enjoyable work environment by treating colleagues and partners with respect.
How to apply
All applications should be sent to opportunities@esoxbiologics.com. Please include a CV with two references along with a brief cover letter.