Scientist/Senior Scientist, Mass Spectrometry - Generative Biology Institute

At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we’re on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges in four transformative areas:

• Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
• Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
• Climate Change & Managing CO₂
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

This is ambitious work - work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you’ll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society. Explore more at www.eit.org.

Welcome to the Generative Biology Institute:

Led by Founding Director Jason Chin, the Generative Biology Institute (GBI) at the Ellison Institute of Technology is tackling the key challenges in making biology engineerable, and thereby unlocking the unrivalled power of biology for the benefit of humanity.

The vision of the GBI is to lay the foundations for engineering biology, and unlock its potential for good. To achieve this, we must overcome two key challenges. First, we need the ability to write in the natural language of biology, enabling the rapid and scalable synthesis of entire genomes with precision. Second, we must understand what to write - determining which DNA sequences will generate biological systems that perform the desired functions. Addressing these challenges will allow us to harness the full power of biology to create transformative solutions across health, agriculture, clean energy and more.   

GBI will have sustained and substantial funding to support the unique scale and ambition of its ground-breaking vision for engineering biology. GBI researchers will also be supported by cutting-edge technology hubs including mass spectrometry, flow cytometry, sequencing, automation, imaging, and bioprocessing. GBI will also have access to substantial compute resources that can be leveraged to further accelerate progress, including scientific compute, bioinformatics, and machine learning. The environment at GBI will allow researchers to undertake ambitious, long-term, collaborative research, and we will actively support the translation of research to commercial applications, where appropriate.  

The Generative Biology Institute commenced operations in 2025, occupying newly renovated bespoke space in the Oxford Science Park. The team will later move to a purpose-made facility in the Oxford Science Park, currently under construction. Once complete, this state-of-the-art facility will include more than 40,000 m² of research laboratory and office space.  It will house over 30 groups and up to 600 employees at scale, focused on solving the two critical challenges in making biology engineerable and applying the solutions to addressing the global challenges encapsulated in EIT’s Humane Endeavors.  

Your Role:

The Mass Spectrometry Tech Hub within the GBI is seeking a Scientist / Senior Scientist with expertise in single-cell mass spectrometry, with a particular focus on single-cell proteomics and/or metabolomics.

This is an exciting opportunity to help establish and develop cutting-edge single-cell MS workflows within a highly collaborative, technology-driven research institute. The successful candidate will work closely with GBI research groups as well as scientists across other EIT institutes. We also work in close collaboration with other Tech Hubs including automation, flow cytometry, sequencing, bioinformatics, scientific computing and AI/ML, to deliver high-quality, reproducible and scalable analytical workflows.

We are looking for candidates with a good understanding of the challenges of low-input and single-cell analysis, that can communicate clearly with multidisciplinary teams, can develop robust experimental workflows, and are motivated to push the boundaries of what mass spectrometry can deliver.

This role is particularly suited to a scientist who enjoys developing new methods, troubleshooting complex analytical workflows, working across biological applications, and translating advanced MS technologies into accessible, high-impact research capability for the wider Institute.

Key Responsibilities

• To develop, implement and optimise LC-MS-based workflows for low-input and single-cell proteomics and/or metabolomics.
• To support GBI, and broader EIT, researchers in the design, execution, analysis and interpretation of mass spectrometry experiments, including sample preparation, method development, data acquisition and data interpretation.
• To help develop standard operating procedures, training material and user-facing guidance for single-cell and low-input MS workflows.
• To contribute to the analysis and interpretation of complex MS datasets, working closely with bioinformatics, scientific computing and AI/ML colleagues where appropriate.
• To assist, where required, in manuscript preparation, internal reports and external presentations.
• To promote and champion EIT and the work of the GBI, representing the Institute at scientific meetings, conferences and public events where appropriate.

Essential Criteria

• PhD, equivalent advanced degree, or equivalent research/industry experience in analytical chemistry, mass spectrometry, proteomics, metabolomics, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology or a related discipline.
• Demonstrable experience in mass spectrometry-based proteomics and/or metabolomics, including LC-MS sample preparation, method development, data acquisition, troubleshooting and quality control.
• Strong knowledge of low-input or single-cell analytical workflows, including single-cell proteomics, single-cell metabolomics, low-cell-number proteomics or other high-sensitivity MS approaches.
• Practical understanding of bottom-up and top-down proteomics and/or metabolomics workflows, including LC-MS acquisition strategies, database searching, quantitative analysis and interpretation of complex datasets.
• Experience with MS data analysis software such as Spectronaut, DIA-NN, MaxQuant, Proteome Discoverer, FragPipe, Compound Discoverer, MS-DIAL, Skyline or equivalent platforms.
• Strong communication, collaboration and organisational skills, with a commitment to experimental reproducibility, data integrity and working effectively across multidisciplinary research teams.

Desirable Experience

• Hands-on experience with advanced high-resolution MS platforms, including Orbitrap Tribrid instruments and/or timsTOF platforms.
• Experience with nanoLC, low-flow LC, high-sensitivity chromatography, carrier proteome approaches, TMT/isobaric labelling, DIA, DDA, PRM, SRM/MRM or related quantitative MS workflows.
• Experience developing or implementing single-cell or ultra-low-input workflows such as nanoPOTS, SCoPE-MS, plexDIA, low-input DIA, FACS-based sample preparation or automated nanolitre-scale sample preparation.
• Experience working with limited or complex biological samples, including rare cell populations, sorted cells, micro-dissected material, primary cells, tissue-derived samples, organoids, microbial systems, plant samples or engineered biological systems.
• Experience integrating MS workflows with upstream biological or automation platforms, including cell culture, cell sorting, liquid handlers, acoustic dispensing, microfluidics or high-throughput sample preparation.
• Experience working in a technology hub, core facility, collaborative research environment, biotech, pharma or translational setting; for Senior Scientist level, evidence of independent method development, scientific leadership, training and strategic capability building.

 

Our Benefits:

• Travel Allowance & Annual Bonus

• Enhanced holiday. Our annual leave allowance is 25 days plus 8 bank holidays and an additional 3 days between Christmas and New Year. You will also have the opportunity to purchase an additional 5 days annual leave in January and July.
• Pension - Employer contribution 7.5%, minimum employee contribution 5%
• Life Assurance.
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance as standard for you, your partner and any dependents. Including hospital Cash Plan
• Employee discounts
• Electric car scheme
• Nursery Salary Sacrifice scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Family Planning
• Neurodiversity support including advise and assessments
• Coaching & Therapy services

 Working Together – What It Involves:

• You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary. In certain cases, we can consider sponsorship, and this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
• You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford (or be willing to relocate).
• This is an onsite role