Proteomic Mass Spec Scientist

Your new company
You will be joining a world leading research institute based in the Cambridge area, working closely with a wide variety of internal stakeholders and external partners - such as top 10 pharmaceutical and biotech companies - on cutting edge research within cancer.
The institution has invested heavily in equipment and lab upgrades and fosters a highly collaborative and friendly work environment, where you will be working with leading experts within cancer and biological research.
They also offer very generous benefits, a flexible approach to working and make significant investment into the training and development of their staff, so there will be a number of opportunities to develop new and advance existing skills.

Your new role
You will be working within a core proteomics lab, supporting a wide variety of research projects and groups. Projects will be focused around cancer research, from helping to understanding disease mechanisms and biology through to drug / biomarker discovery and development.
As well as performing hands-on research, you will be working closely with scientists to help design experiments and be involved in writing publications.This position can be offered at different levels and so could suit someone ranging from an MRes/MSc level through to PhD / Post-doctoral level and is an extra headcount in an already experienced team.
Main responsibilities will include (but are not limited to):

• Hands-on analysis of biological / protein samples via mass spectrometry (MS) & liquid chromatography (LC);
• Preparing samples for LCMS analysis, eg by performing reverse phase or size exclusion chromatography;
• Analysing and interpreting raw data, eg using statistical / bioinformatics tools and pipelines, or software like MaxQuant or Proteome Discoverer;
• Conducting targeted assays for quantitative experiments;
• Working with labelled (eg TMT) and label free/DIA samples;
• Liaising with research groups on experimental data and potential experimental design;
• Occasionally working with external collaborators, such as top-tier pharmaceutical and biotech companies, or major research institutions like the Dana-Farber institute;
• Helping maintain, calibrate and run various mass spec instruments;
• Involvement in preparing scientific research papers.

Training will be provided for this role in a number of aspects, but there is significant scope for candidates with experience of/an interest in coding and bioinformatics (especially R or python) to take on a key role providing in-house scripting and data analysis to support a range of research projects.

What you'll need to succeed
As well as strong communication, teamworking and organisational skills, you should have:

• A degree (or equivalent experience) in a Life Sciences or technical subject, such as Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Statistics, bioinformatics or a related area - with MSc/MRes or PhD preferred
• Good hands-on experience of performing experiments using mass spec / LCMS, preferably within an analytical lab or research environment for the analysis of proteins, peptides, antibodies or other large molecules
• Practical Experience of working in a proteomics or protein chemistry laboratory either in an academic or industrial setting (core facility experience would be especially valuable);
• The ability to manage multiple tasks/projects, often with competing timelines
• Liquid chromatography / HPLC knowledge

Candidates with the following are preferred, but as full training will be provided, there is no absolute requirement to have:

• Experience running and performing basic maintenance on mass spectrometers or liquid chromatography systems;
• Hands-on experience working with Orbitrap or Triple-Quad (QQQ or Q-ToF) systems;
• Strong statistical, bioinformatics or coding skills, eg in R or python - though these would be a significant advantage

What you'll get in return
An exciting opportunity to work with one of the leading research institutes in the country, excellent career and skills development, a great working atmosphere and the chance to make a real impact on cancer research. Plus fantastic benefits and flexible working.

What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call on . If this job isn't quite right for you but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career.

Keywords: protein, proteomics, mass, spec, spectrometry, liquid, chromatography, phase, biology, biological, cancer, oncology, research, science, lab, laboratory, Orbitrap, quad, HPLC, R, python, coding, statistics, data, pharmaceutical, biotech, drug, discovery, development, R&D, bioinformatics