Upstream Bioprocessing Senior Scientist

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Position:
Senior Upstream Bioprocessing Scientist / Research Associate in Upstream Bioprocessing

Salary:
Grade 7 (£37,694 - £47,389)

Contract:

Full-Time (35 hours per week), Fixed Term for 40 months

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 building‑closed days for all full‑time staff. Use our total rewards calculator  to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot‑Watt University.

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) () is a national centre of excellence that accelerates the commercialisation of industrial biotechnology across Scotland, the UK and internationally. Working closely with industry, academia and the public sector, IBioIC supports the development and scale‑up of bio‑based processes and products that contribute to sustainable manufacturing and the transition to net‑zero.

IBioIC’s Bioprocessing Scale‑Up Centre (FlexBIO), hosted at Heriot‑Watt University within the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering (IB3), provides industry and academic partners with access to state‑of‑the‑art bioprocessing facilities and specialist technical expertise. FlexBIO operates as an industry‑facing, fee‑for‑service facility, supporting clients to de‑risk and scale their bioprocesses from laboratory to pilot scale.

The facility has strong capabilities in microbial fermentation at scales up to 300 litres and mammalian cell culture up to 15 litres, alongside a broad range of downstream processing technologies for cell and product recovery. These capabilities support a diverse portfolio of projects across sectors including industrial biotechnology, marine biotechnology, agritech, biomaterials, food and feed, and emerging bio‑based manufacturing applications.

FlexBIO is supported by a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers and technical specialists with expertise spanning upstream processing, downstream processing, scale‑up, process control and training delivery. The team works closely with clients to design and deliver robust, practical scale‑up solutions that bridge the gap between academic research and commercial deployment.

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The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) is seeking to appoint a full‑time Upstream Bioprocessing Senior Scientist to support and take a technical lead on mammalian cell culture‑focused and upstream bioprocessing projects delivered within the IBioIC FlexBIO Bioprocessing Scale‑Up Facility at Heriot‑Watt University.

The role is primarily lab‑based, with some office‑based work, and involves supporting industry‑ and academic‑led fermentation and scale‑up projects in a safe, professional, timely and organised manner. The post holder will work closely with the wider scale‑up team (including downstream processing colleagues), the Facility Director and IBioIC management to ensure effective delivery of client projects within a fee‑for‑service, industry‑facing environment.

The primary technical focus of the role is mammalian cell culture and mammalian bioreactor scale‑up, with secondary support to microbial fermentation projects as required within an established specialist team. The role holder will lead the day‑to‑day planning and execution of scale‑up projects, from technology transfer and establishment of lab‑scale processes (e.g. flasks and spinners) through to operation of stirred‑tank bioreactors at 2–15 L (mammalian) and, microbial systems up to 300 L.

The post holder will have direct technical interaction with clients throughout project preparation, execution, evaluation and reporting. The role also involves supervision, training and mentoring of technical staff and trainees, and may include line management responsibilities. Hands‑on participation in experimental work is expected, alongside contributing to project planning, problem‑solving and continuous improvement activities within the facility.

The role holder will be line‑managed by the Upstream Bioprocessing Manager. The role sits within an experienced management and technical team, with clear support structures and development opportunities.