Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire
About us
The Medical Research Council (MRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has invested £30m over 4 years through the Strategic Priorities Fund to establish a Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator (NATA) that will support state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research to solve critical issues in nucleic acid drug development, through focused NATA research challenges and a NATA infrastructure hub.
NATA (https://www.natahub.org/) focuses on building internal chemistry, biology and operational capabilities while catalysing collaborative R&D activity to tackle significant barriers facing oligonucleotide therapy manufacturing and delivery. This investment will support capacity building in terms of equipment, upskilling and domain expertise that will be essential in developing critical mass to catalyse and de-risk the development of next-generation nucleic acid therapeutics.
About the Role
We are recruiting for a Research Assistant to join our NATA Chemistry Team supporting the synthesis and development of new therapeutic oligonucleotides for various translational and collaborative projects. You will be involved in either the operation of oligonucleotide synthesizers or developing novel chemistry associated with oligonucleotides and perform analytical techniques to analyse the identity, purity and quality of generated products.
Key Responsibilities include:
- Take a proactive approach to learning and implementing new techniques and methods related to oligonucleotide chemistry, synthesis and analysis.
- Assist in the synthesis, purification, and analysis of oligonucleotide therapeutics
- Troubleshoot and support procedures and instrumentation
- Manage instruments, reagents, and chemical resources efficiently
- Support the Lab Manager in undertaking lab management duties such as lab and equipment maintenance, H&S administration, inventory, databases, and SOPs
About You
You will have:
- A degree in chemistry or a related field
- Experience in a laboratory, performing organic chemistry or oligonucleotide synthesis
- Expertise in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry or nucleic acid chemistry
- Experience in HPLC purification systems and knowledge of LC-MS analysis of molecules
- Experience in data analysis and interpretation and the ability to write scientifically
For the full job description, please visit our site via the ‘Apply’ button above.
Benefits:
Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits, from a defined-benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement, to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and a salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. In addition, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the work of a world-class medical research organisation.
How to Apply:
For full details and to apply, please click on the ‘Apply‘ button above to submit an application. Your cover letter should clearly outline how you fulfil the criteria listed in the personal specification and your motivation for applying for this role.
Please quote reference NATA 2278