About Green Bioactives

At Green Bioactives we are passionate about improving lives and making a positive impact on the world by developing and commercialising sustainable plant-derived natural products made using our innovative plant cell culture-based biomanufacturing platform.

Our proprietary Plant Cell Culture Technology has enabled us to revolutionise the way that plant-derived ingredients are produced, using sustainable methods of cultivation without the need to destroy trees or habitats. This means that, in a natural and sustainable way, we can reliably produce valuable ingredients that may otherwise be challenging to obtain at the required volumes year-round.

Everyone at Green Bioactives is driven to do the right thing. We believe in a culture of honesty and transparency, where feedback is considered an opportunity for us to contribute to each other’s professional growth and development. We recognise the value of diversity and are an equal opportunity employer.

We are a highly collaborative team of scientists, technologists, industry experts and entrepreneurs, united by our mission to protect the environment and revolutionise plant biotechnology.

Position

The Research Associate in Upstream Development will play a key role in developing and optimising starter (seed) culture build-up procedures for bioreactor inoculation and in scaling plant cell suspension cultures from shake flasks to 50-litre bioreactors. As part of our R&D team, they will work in a dynamic environment and communicate complex biological mechanisms, methods, analyses, and results with scientists from diverse backgrounds.

Key Responsibilities

The following is not intended to be an exhaustive list of roles and responsibilities but rather to provide potential applicants with guidance around the main aspects of the job. These include:

• Planning and executing experiments to scale up plant cell suspensions from shake flasks to 50-litre bioreactors in accordance with individual project goals and with guidance from your Line Manager.
• Developing and refining protocols for seed culture build-up to ensure robust and consistent inoculum preparation for bioreactor operations.
• Conducting and overseeing experiments to optimise plant cell growth and production conditions in bioreactors up to 50-litres, focussing on various parameters including medium composition, agitation, pH, and dissolved oxygen.
• Undertaking routine sub-culturing of plant cell suspension cultures under sterile conditions for shake flasks and bioreactors up to 50-litres.
• Monitoring, analysing, and interpreting bioprocess data to enhance productivity, cell viability, and product yield.
• Troubleshooting upstream process issues and implementing corrective actions to ensure smooth operations.
• Collaborating with the wider laboratory team to develop, validate, standardise and improve bioreactor operational procedures and general laboratory operations, especially as these apply to plant cell suspension culture and scaleup.
• Staying current with industry trends and innovations in plant cell culture and bioprocessing.
• Training and mentoring less experienced members of the team in bioreactor operations best practices.
• Maintaining accurate and detailed records of experiments, procedures, and results in accordance with company standards, including the use of electronic laboratory notebooks.
• Communicating and presenting scientific data at internal meetings in line with company data presentation standards and good scientific practice.
• Adhering to and promoting a culture of laboratory safety, following established safety protocols and guidelines and actively contributing to health and safety risk assessments.
• Contributing to laboratory cleanliness and tidiness, e.g., by returning items to their designated places, cleaning up spillages, and taking part in routine cleaning.
• Working collaboratively with cross-functional teams to support ongoing research projects, troubleshoot issues, and share insights and findings.
• Participating in training sessions and seeking continuous learning opportunities to enhance your skills and knowledge in molecular biology.

Qualifications and Skills

Essential Criteria:

• Either:
  1. A BSc or MSc in Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, Plant Sciences or a related field, or
  2. A Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Diploma (HND) with at least three years’ relevant industry experience.
• Hands-on experience with bioreactor systems, including scaling processes.
• Proficiency in using software and tools for bioprocess monitoring and control.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex datasets, including familiarity with statistical analysis and statistical analysis software.
• The ability to accurately follow protocols and procedures.
• Strong organisational skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Effective communication and teamwork skills.
• General computer literacy, including using Microsoft Excel for statistical analysis.
• Willingness to learn, adapt, and take on new challenges.
• Commitment to laboratory safety and best practice.
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced, multi-tasked environment.

Desirable Criteria:

• Proven experience in plant cell suspension culture.
• Experience using electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) or electronic laboratory information management system (eLIMS) software (ideally Labguru).
• Experience using Design of Experiment (DoE) techniques to plan experiments, including familiarity with DoE software (e.g., JMP).
• Experience working under a quality management system.
• Experience working on plant tissue culture or bioreactor operations in an industry setting.
• Knowledge of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).

Additional Information

• Job Title: Research Associate – Upstream Development
• Job Location: Pentlands Science Park
• Job Type: Permanent, full-time
• Hours of Work: A minimum of 40 hours per week worked Monday to Friday including a paid lunch break of up to 1 hour per day. Flexibility around the core working hours of 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
• Salary: £30,000 - £36,000 per annum depending on experience.
• Benefits: 33 days’ holiday (pro-rated, inclusive of 8 public holidays), pension scheme, EMI share options.
• Right to Work in the UK: Essential.
• References: To be made available upon request.

At Green Bioactives, we value diversity and are committed to promoting equality of opportunity and eliminating discrimination. We offer support and make reasonable adjustments to facilitate full participation in the recruitment process. Please inform us of any requirements you may have, and we will consider reasonable adjustments.