(Junior) Research Scientist

The Position

The Automation and Screening team within Discovery Technologies and Genomics department is looking for a candidate with experience in cell biology and lab automation to join its existing team of scientists. For candidates without lab automation experience adequate level of training will be provided. The team contributes to cell-based model development, assay development and high-content screening by running experiments on its integrated automation platforms from Hamilton and Beckman Coulter Life Sciences (Biomek and Labcyte ECHO Access System). We are also expanding our automation capabilities by building a new integrated automation platform with HighRes BioSolutions.

Key responsibilities include working with automation scientists to develop, validate, execute and analyse lab automation processes for human relevant cell-based screens and end-point assays. You will also oversee hands-on platform operation, execution, and documentation of experiments in electronic lab notebooks. Moreover, you will be involved in:

• Building run reports using labware barcodes and data reporting tools
• Working with scientists and automation team members to understand experimental processes and working out plans to conduct experiments and generate data QC plots
• Acting as a point of contact for service engineers/ third party vendors to ensure hardware and software integration as well as maintenance of automation equipment
• Supporting compound/ library management and prepares experimental treatment plates (with siRNAs, sgRNAs, peptides, compounds) using ECHO platform
• Managing ordering of automation consumables and upkeep of equipment performance

Qualifications

We would like to hear from you if you fit any of the criteria we have listed below:

• PhD in natural science & some years of relevant post doc/industry experience or MSc in natural science & a few years of relevant work experience
• Experience working in laboratory automation settings using liquid handlers such as Biomek and Hamilton, liquid dispensers, and plate washers
• Experience writing automation methods and optimizing pipetting performance to achieve precise liquid transfer
• Experience culturing primary cells or cell lines relevant for cardiometabolic diseases
• Experience in cell and molecular biology techniques such as siRNA/ guide RNA transfection, RTqPCR, immunostaining, imaging
• Experience transferring manual workflows into HTS technologies and executing screens is desirable

Furthermore, we see that you have attention to detail, exceptional organizational and communication skills, and the ability to work on projects in parallel. You hold a diligent attention to health and safety requirements, system cleanliness and maintenance. You are also a superior problem-solver with an interest in technologies to enable high-throughput screening. You are a team player and self-starter and are strongly motivated to explore new ideas and methods to drive innovation for the benefit of our patients.

About the Department

The Department of Discovery Technologies and Genomics has as its mission to establish and apply state-of-the-art genomics and screening technologies to discover and validate novel therapeutic targets for cardiometabolic diseases using human-centric in vitro approaches. Ultimately, our aim is to identify targets and key biology to discover new disruptive therapeutics.

The department is led by Thomas Meek, and consists of specialists, staff scientists and post-doctoral scientists. We are a dedicated, collaborative team, working with a variety of advanced technologies, including automation and screening, high-content imaging, single-cell sequencing, CRISPR editing, proteomics and peptidomics. Together, we share a passion for translational research and a desire to discover new scientific paths to improve the lives of patients. The automation and screening team is led by Asmita Agrawal.

About Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford (NNRCO)

Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. We employ more than 50,000 people in 80 countries and market our products in around 170 countries.

Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford (NNRCO) is one of Novo Nordisk’s Global Drug Discovery research sites focused on biology and target discovery across the broad spectrum of cardiometabolic disease in Oxford, United Kingdom.

Our location in the heart of the University of Oxford medical campus enables two-way collaborations with some of the best medical scientists in the world. We use genetics, functional genomics, human-centric disease models and computational biology to develop an unparalleled understanding of cardiometabolic disease and deliver therapies that transform the lives of patients.

You can read more about Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford at:

Research Centre Oxford (novonordisk.com)

Working at Novo Nordisk
We are a proud life-science company, and life is our reason to exist. We’re inspired by life in all its forms and shapes, ups and downs, opportunities and challenges. For employees at Novo Nordisk, life means many things – from the building blocks of life that form the basis of ground-breaking scientific research, to our rich personal lives that motivate and energise us to perform our best at work. Ultimately, life is why we’re all here - to ensure that people can lead a life independent of chronic disease.

Contact

Please apply to the role via our online platform as unfortunately we don’t accept directly sent CVs.Deadline

Please apply before 22nd of September 2023.

The Talent Acquisition team will engage with applicants on an ongoing basis, so apply as soon as you can!

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

At Novo Nordisk we recognize that it is no longer good enough to aspire to be the best company in the world. We need to aspire to be the best company for the world and we know that this is only possible with talented employees with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our employees, the patients we serve and communities we operate in. Together, we’re life changing.

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