Research Scientist - Materials Science (15931)

Job Title:           Research Scientist - Materials

Location:           Farnborough

Package:  Highly Competitive Salary + Benefits Package

Role Type:         Full time / Permanent or Fixed Term Contract

Role ID:              SF15931

Be part of the QinetiQ journey. Join us as a Research Scientist at our Farnborough site where you will have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and many of the industry’s most brilliant minds.

The role:

As a research scientist, you will have a role that is out of the ordinary and will be responsible for conducting research and development on a range of synthetic biology programmes, and will use your biochemical expertise to provide theoretical and practical inputs across the whole Engineering Biology portfolio. This will offer you a variety of multidisciplinary programmes across a broad spectrum of topic areas within the Functional Materials domain.

Day to day responsibilities:

• Leading and contributing to project delivery, mainly through practical laboratory work.
• Being accountable for managing your own time and progress in order to meet agreed goals and deadlines.
• Supporting proposal and bid development
• Interfacing with customers
• Training colleagues on request
• Writing risk assessments for individual experiments

This is a full time, permanent, hybrid role.

Essential experience of the Research Scientist:

• Demonstrated ability to work with a variety of organism types and/or microbial strains
• Background (theoretical and/or practical) in advanced materials and/or device fabrication
• Experience of working in industry and/or with industrial partners and/or with external collaborators/ stakeholders
• Evidence of working with multidisciplinary teams involving synthetic biology
• Experience of commercialising research
• Technical experience in any of:

Robotic/automation systems

Bioinformatics

Coding

• Proven proposal writing skills e.g. for external bids, grants etc.

Qualifications for the Research Scientist:

• PhD in a relevant subject such as synthetic biology/ biochemistry
• Demonstrated technical skills in protein biochemistry including recombinant protein expression and purification e.g. using chromatography (affinity, size exclusion etc.)
• Experience in fundamental synthetic biology techniques e.g. PCR, gel electrophoresis, gene cloning, mutagenesis etc.
• Experience of characterisation techniques such as mass spectrometry, NMR, circular dichroism, SAXS, SANS, SEM, X-ray crystallography, confocal microscopy etc.

Or

Please note that all applicants must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.

UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (

#SCIQ123
#LI-BI1

Why join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

You’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experience enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in an diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture here .  

Joining QinetiQ offers you an opportunity to work on a broad range of interesting defence-based projects with vast career progression across a global organisation in addition to competitive personal and professional benefits.  You’ll receive a highly competitive salary and benefits package: our basic salaries are very attractive as we constantly review what’s happening in the market. The range of benefits that we offer include, adaptive and flexible working, generous holiday entitlements, Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance and much more. 

About QinetiQ

As a company of over 6,000 dedicated professionals, we are a world-centre of excellence in research and development and act as a catalyst for fast-track innovation, offering outstanding experimentation facilities, and technical, engineering and scientific expertise. QinetiQ is made up of dedicated experts in defence, aerospace, security and related markets, all working together to explore new ways of protecting what matters most. Being part of QinetiQ means being central to the safety and security of the world around us. Partnering with our customers, we help to save lives; reduce risks to society; and maintain the global infrastructure on which we all depend. Come and find out how you can play a role.

Please note that many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting. Applicants that already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment, subject to approval. A number of roles are also subject to restrictions on access to information that mean factors such as nationality, previous nationalities held and the country in which you were born may have an effect on the roles that you can be employed in.