PCR Assay Design Scientist

PCR Assay Design Scientist
Southampton, Hampshire

The Company

Our client is a leading provider of RT PCR solutions. They have thousands of happy customers based across the globe and have a real ambition to drive their business forward and achieve even more.

They are now looking for a PCR Assay Design Scientist to join their team in Southampton.

The Benefits

- Salary of £27,000 - £32,000 per annum DOE
- Healthcare
- Pension scheme
- Life assurance
- 25 days’ holiday per annum

If you have PCR experience and an excellent grasp of primer and probe design work, this is a brilliant opportunity to join a friendly and fast-growing biotech business. 

It’s an exciting time to join the team, as our client is working in collaboration with some of the industry’s largest players to develop kits, including those that are helping to combat COVID-19. 

You will have the chance to make a real difference to the future of the healthcare industry while you build on your existing expertise and grow your network.

The Role

As a PCR Assay Design Scientist, you will support the development of PCR assay design functions within the Research and Development Team.

In this important role, you will apply algorithms and programs to support assay design, develop design strategies, conduct in silico validation for assays and analyse experimental data. You’ll also use your design knowledge to utilise innovative chemistries across a wide range of applications. 

Your role will also involve:

- Designing PCR primers and probes for targeted assays
- Contributing to the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 sequence information 
- Curating sequence data and mining public databases for sequence content
- Helping to analyse and write reports for development studies
- Providing training to team members

About You

To be considered as a PCR Assay Design Scientist, you will need:

- At least two years’ experience of relevant laboratory-based PCR work
- Experience in, and an understanding of, primer and probe design for qPCR and/or other primer and probe-based assays
- Proficiency with bioinformatics analysis tools, including multiple sequence alignment, BLAST analysis and open reading frame analysis
- An understanding of the biology behind genotyping, gene expression profiling, comparative genomics and genetic mapping
- At a minimum, a BSc level qualification in a life science subject, ideally bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics or another related field

Experience/knowledge in any of the following would be beneficial: mining public databases for genomic sequences, sequence analysis tools for mapping and comparative genomics, designing SNP genotyping assays, working in a customer-facing/technical support role, working with a quality system, or statistical data analysis.

Other organisations may call this role PCR Design Scientist, Research Scientist, PCR Assay Research Scientist, Genome Research Scientist, Research Associate, Research Fellow, Research and Development Scientist, Biologist, or Genetic Scientist.

Webrecruit and our clients are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you’re seeking your next challenge as a PCR Assay Design Scientist, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.