Assistant Scientist - Mycology

Join us as an Assistant Scientist and make an invaluable contribution to our Food Safety & Biosecurity!

As an assistant scientist you will be conducting molecular analysis of samples within the Mycology Team, part of the Plant, Animal and Environmental Health Business Unit. You will be responsible for ensuring samples are processed and analysed within agreed timescales through effective workload planning and strict adherence to established procedures.

What you’ll be doing:

• Molecular analysis, using conventional PCR, real-time PCR and sequencing of plant and fungal samples following standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Ensuring best practice in the laboratories by adhering to quality systems (ISO 17025 and ISO 9001).
• Helping colleagues prioritise samples.
• Helping colleagues to troubleshoot problems if they occur.
• Stock control of reagents and consumables.
• Cleaning and maintaining routinely used facilities and equipment.
• Possibly assisting with literature reviews.

What we’re looking for:

• A scientific qualification, or equivalent experience
• Excellent team working skills, who cares for the quality of their work and asks questions when unclear.
• The ability to follow SOPs and work to a high standard in an organised manner to meet deadlines.
• Experience in molecular diagnostics using a range of nucleic acid extraction and detection techniques.
• Experience of working to accredited quality standards such as ISO 17025 and ISO 9001.
• Good IT skills particularly using Microsoft applications (Word, Excel and Outlook).
• Additional desirable skills:

• an interest in plants and plant diseases
• sequence interpretation (e.g., using Geneious and NCBI BLAST database).

What’s in it for you?

• ?25 days’ holiday (rising to 29) with the opportunity to buy & sell extra leave.
• Flexible working hours, on-site gym, restaurant, free parking and a discounted on-site nursery.
• The opportunity to take a paid day out of the office, volunteering for our charity partners or a cause of your choice
• Company matched pension, life assurance, a cycle2work scheme, 15 weeks’ fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paternity pay of two weeks…and plenty more.
• Voluntary benefits designed to suit your lifestyle – from discounts on retail and socialising, to health & wellbeing, travel and technology
• Fera operates a LTIP ( Long Term Incentive Plan) under which all employees are awarded points towards shares in the Employee Benefits Trust on an annual basis. The Employee Benefits Trust holds shares on behalf of our employee, at the point of an equity event the shares will realise a cash value.

What we hope you’ll do next:

Choose ‘Apply now’ to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you. If you have any questions you’d like to ask before applying, you can contact recruitment@fera.co.uk

We’re an equal opportunity employer, which means we recruit and develop people based on their merit and passion. We’re committed to providing an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment process and working environment for everyone. If you need the job description or application form in an alternative format or if you’d like to discuss other changes or support you might need going forward, please email at recruitment@fera.co.uk and we’ll get back to you.

At Fera, we’re making the world a better, healthier and safer place. We’re a joint venture partnership between Bridgepoint and Defra and we’re working proactively to protect the world we live in and the food we eat. Our teams are investigating plant and bee health, crop protection and sustainable agriculture. Join us and discover better as you deliver world-class science for the future.