Lab Automation Scientist

Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. We employ more than 55,000 people in 80 countries and market our products in around 170 countries.

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)

The Department of Discovery Technologies and Genomics at the NNRCO 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 Position

The Automation team within Discovery Technologies and Genomics department is expanding its capabilities for performing functional genomics & HTS for target discovery. Our current automation platforms are from Hamilton and Beckman Coulter Life Sciences (Biomek and Labcyte Access) and we are building a fully integrated end-to-end automation platform with HighRes Biosolutions to enable higher throughput, parallel processing and walkaway automation for arrayed screening workflows. We are also increasing our capacity to perform large-scale cell culture, expansion and passaging by building an end-to-end automated cell culture system with Celltrio. We are looking for great people with different experience levels, so this role can be at a junior or senior level.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Developing, validating and executing automation methods and multi-day/week workflows, as well as developing walkaway automation protocols to maximise utilisation of the platform
• Working with third-party vendors to ensure hardware and software integration as well as maintenance of laboratory automation
• Developing expertise to troubleshoot technical and hardware issues and rectify them
• Documenting operating procedures, developing backup processes, maintaining records of experimental procedures in the electronic lab notebook and training new users.
• Transferring experimental ideas into actionable plans and workflows to ensure seamless design, test and analyse cycles.

You will also collaborate with project leads to plan and execute large-scale, arrayed phenotypic screens using siRNA, CRISPR, peptide or small molecule approaches in complex in vitro human cell models, and test individual devices on the system and build validation datasets to ensure desired biological endpoints are met.

Qualifications

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

• Scientific or engineering degree in Biological Sciences with experience working in laboratory automation settings using liquid handlers and automation scheduling software for running high-throughput cell-based or biochemical screens
• Experience using HighRes Biosolutions’ Cellario scheduling software, scripting languages such as C# and programming language such as Python
• Advanced experience using Biomek i5 software and method writing using JavaScript or Visual Basic
• Experience transferring manual workflows into HTS technologies and executing HTS 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 diligent attention to health and safety requirements, system cleanliness and maintenance. You are also a superior problem-solver and can understand complex biological systems. 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.

Working at Novo Nordisk

At Novo Nordisk, we don’t wait for change. We drive it. We’re a dynamic company in an even more dynamic industry, and we know that what got us to where we are today is not necessarily what will make us successful in the future. We embrace the spirit of experimentation, striving for excellence without fixating on perfection. We never shy away from opportunities to develop, we

seize them. From research and development, through to manufacturing, marketing and sales – we’re all working to move the needle on patient care.

Contact

Do you have questions in terms of the role? Reach out to Group Head of Screening & Automation, Asmita Agrawal vawl@novonordisk.com

Deadline

Apply before the 26th of June 2023.

The Talent Acquisition team will engage with applicants on an ongoing basis, and we reserve the right to fill the role before the deadline, so we encourage you to not hesitate, and apply!

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.

We are proud supporters of Women in Data®.  Connect, engage and belong to the largest free female data community in the UK – visit: www.womenindata.co.uk to join our community.