Science Technician

Research and Project Technician – Cell Disruption & Microalgae Pretreatment

(12-Month Fixed-Term Contract - Extension Subject to Results)

- Location:

Barrow upon Humber

- Monday to Friday (Early finish Friday)

- 9am - 5pm

About the company

The business develops climate-positive solutions from microalgae, producing natural protein- and omega-3-rich ingredients with a reduced environmental footprint. We are scaling innovative biotechnology processes and translating research into commercially viable production methods.

We are seeking a driven and hands-on Person to lead research focused on cell disruption, pretreatment, and lipid recovery optimisation from microalgae biomass.

Key Responsibilities

Cell Disruption & Pretreatment Development

Develop and optimise microalgae pretreatment methods to maximise lipid recovery

Apply and evaluate techniques including:

* Bead milling

* Sonication

* Enzymatic digestion

* Mechanical shear methods

Compare disruption efficiency, energy input, scalability, and impact on lipid integrity

Identify optimal conditions for EPA-rich oil recovery

Solvent Extraction Optimisation

Design and execute solvent-based extraction experiments

Optimise solvent systems, extraction parameters, and processing sequences

Evaluate oil yield, purity, and EPA concentration

Improve reproducibility and efficiency of extraction protocols

Mechanical Extraction & Separation

Conduct mechanical extraction trials

Assess separation techniques to isolate oil fractions efficiently

Evaluate performance in relation to pretreatment methods

Experimental Design & Analysis

Plan structured experimental programmes with clear hypotheses

Run laboratory and pilot-scale trials

Collate and analyse lipid recovery data and process metrics

Compare results across methods and present clear conclusions

Document both successful and unsuccessful outcomes with technical reasoning

Research & Cross-Team Collaboration

Stay up to date with current literature and best practices in biomass disruption and lipid extraction

Work closely with engineering teams to align lab findings with scale-up potential

Present findings to internal stakeholders, supporting knowledge transfer and decision-making

Recommend next-phase studies based on comparative results

About You

Desireable:

* MSc/equivalent or above in Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Chemistry, or related field

* Hands-on experience with cell disruption and pretreatment methods

* Experience in solvent extraction optimisation

* Strong understanding of experimental design and data interpretation

* Confident presenting technical results to cross-functional teams

* Driven, analytical, and comfortable leading projects independently

What We Offer

* 12-month fixed-term contract with extension based on project outcomes

* Opportunity to lead and run your own technical projects

* Strong collaboration with engineering and R&D teams

* A sustainability-focused biotech environment

* Work that directly contributes to climate-positive innovation

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for someone who:

* Thrives in hands-on laboratory environments

* Is resilient and analytical when experiments fail

* Thinks comparatively and scientifically when evaluating methods

* Has the drive to innovate and improve processes

* Wants to contribute to scalable, sustainable biotechnology