Materials Scientist - Life Sciences Tools & Instruments

About the Role:

We are seeking a highly motivated Materials Scientist to join our Hardware team. Based in our headquarters in Scale Space, White City, London, and reporting to the Cartridge Team Leader, this primarily on-site, lab-based role will select and optimise materials used in microfluidic cartridge devices and help develop scalable processes for the assembly of such devices cross-functionally with internal and external experts in mechanical, electronics, process, and software engineering.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Select and test cartridge materials and components factoring in commercial reasons (e.g., cost) and technical requirements (e.g., thermal coefficient of expansion).
• Investigate and test methods to produce durable high quality functional materials and processes to assemble them efficiently with high yield.
• Develop criteria, statistical tools and analytical methods to identify nonconforming materials and components as well as products with defects.
• Develop methods or routes to rework or recycle materials and parts that fail inspection and testing.
• Analyse outputs, document findings and prepare technical reports with metrics and recommendations for further improvement.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of a quality management system.
• Assist in the drafting of patents and scientific publications.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline.
• Familiarity with materials integration into devices and system-level thinking.
• Knowledge of microfabrication, microfluidics, or device assembly and packaging.
• Good commercial awareness with strong focus on device performance and cost.
• Familiarity with analytical tools and methods used to assess and compare different materials and for the quality control of components.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and attention to detail.
• Excellent teamwork and communication skills.

Desirable:

• Experience with computer-aided design (CAD).
• Hands-on experience working with substrates that combine plastic, inorganic or metal layers and their modification.
• Experience developing electrochemical sensors or optical biosensors.
• Familiarity with Excel, ImageJ and other software used for quantitative analysis.