Research Associate, Research Scientist, Biomedical Science

Reserach Assistant £33,002.00 - £33,951.00 per annum

Reserach Associate £35,608.00 - £37,694.00 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 05 Janaury 2026

We are seeking a talented and motivated early‑career researcher to join the Howard Group at Newcastle University as a Research Associate (PDRA) in Cell‑Free Metabolic Engineering (CFME). This role is part of the national Great British Chemicals consortium and focuses on developing CFME as a platform technology to enable more sustainable, low‑carbon and circular approaches to chemical manufacturing.

You will design, build and optimise modular, multi‑enzyme pathways in cell‑free systems. Working at the interface of molecular biology, biochemistry and systems engineering, you will combine experimental work with statistical Design of Experiments (DoE), computational guidance and laboratory automation to rapidly explore and improve pathway performance. The post offers excellent opportunities for publications, collaboration and professional development, with strong mentoring and access to modern facilities.

You will contribute to a coordinated research effort to design and assemble tractable, modular cell‑free networks that convert simple carbon sources into valuable products relevant to industry. The work will include: (1) computational assessment of network architecture and autocatalytic strategies; (2) experimental development and optimisation of metabolic modules and conditions, including construct design, protein expression and purification, and product quantification; and (3) integration of complete networks with cofactor recycling.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles. These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Also include information about the Academic Service/Unit they will be working in covering strategic aims, values and culture.

• Mentoring and career development planning with the PI and access to institutional training.
• Opportunities to develop advanced skills in DoE, automation, quantitative analysis and scientific writing.
• Conference attendance and networking within the national consortium, subject to project needs and budget.

This is a fixed term post for a period of 2 years

Submit a CV and a two‑page cover letter outlining your fit for the role and your motivation for this post. Please include contact details for two referees (references will be taken at offer stage unless you indicate otherwise). Shortlisted candidates will be invited to present a short overview (10 mins) of a recent piece of their research at interview.

• Rapid design, assembly and testing of genetic constructs and enzyme modules for cell‑free pathways.
• Expression, purification and biochemical characterisation of recombinant proteins.
• Development and optimisation of multi‑enzyme cell‑free reactions, including buffer, cofactor and energy systems.
• Application of DoE and quantitative analysis to guide iterative design–build–test–learn cycles.
• Integration of cofactor recycling and autocatalytic design principles into pathway operation.
• Establishment of robust analytical readouts (e.g. spectrophotometric/fluorometric assays; or relevant chromatographic methods) and clear data management using reproducible scripts (R/Python).
• Regular communication with collaborators across the consortium; presentation of results at lab meetings, workshops and conferences.
• Preparation of manuscripts and contributions to shared protocols, SOPs and data repositories.

• Hands‑on experience of molecular cloning and microbial expression systems.
• Experience in at least two of: protein purification; enzyme assays/characterisation;…