RA04 General Research Assistant

Green Bioactives Ltd (green-bioactives.com) is a cutting-edge plant biotechnology company developing a plant cell-based biomanufacturing platform to produce high-value biomolecules for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food, and agriculture industries. Our proprietary technology-driven platform facilitates the discovery and generation of plant natural products in a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable fashion. Our vision is to become the world’s leading supplier of safe, natural, and sustainable plant biomolecules while employing production processes that help protect and sustain our environment

What we are looking for

Green Bioactives Ltd is seeking a well-motivated and reliable Research Assistant, who has good attention to detail, to undertake daily activities supporting our research and production departments. The role will be responsible for managing the core sterilisation unit, providing the research labs and production facilities with sterile materials, high-quality cell culture media, and chemical solutions for daily tissue culture applications. The Research Assistant will work closely with the research staff and line manager to standardise formulations and procedures

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Supply our R&D and production teams with sterile materials, glassware, cell culture media, and reagents for daily activities, using both in-house autoclave capacities and general autoclave service.
• Manage media, reagent, and solution stocks.
• Sterilisation of labware and biological waste for safe disposal.
• Manage routine quality control tests of cell culture media and chemical solution stocks and optimise the associated processes.
• Ensure safe operation and monitoring, together with optimal functioning of glassware washing machines, autoclaves, and other core service equipment.
• Preparation of culture media (e.g. LB, LB-agar, etc.), plates, and general lab stock solutions/buffers (e.g. NaCl, PBS, EDTA, TBE, TAE, Tris-HCl pH 7.4, RNA-grade solutions, etc.) and aliquoting of common reagents, buffers, and reference stocks.
• Analysis of plant cell lines according to SOPs including plant metabolite analysis (e.g. biochemical assays) and phenotype analysis (e.g. microscopy).
• Supporting research staff in key aspects of general lab management and organisation.
• Complying with company quality management system policies and procedures.
• Complying with company health and safety policies and procedures.

Qualifications and Key Skills

Essential Criteria

• Prior experience working in a similar role, especially in wash-up and media preparation, ideally in a biomedical research/production setting.
• Ability to follow protocols accurately and systematically.
• Practical knowledge of autoclaves and autoclave operation.
• Ability to adhere to high health and safety standards.
• Attention to detail while performing routine or repetitive tasks.
• Basic IT skills (including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook).
• Able to take the initiative and work in a fair and responsible way.
• Reliable and flexible.
• Good time management skills to keep up with the pace of a busy research and production environment.
• Able to follow instructions, either verbally directed or from scientific resources and/or SOPs.
• Able to communicate clearly and effectively across multiple teams.

Desirable Criteria

• BSc or equivalent in biology, biotechnology, plant science, plant biotechnology, and/or related disciplines.
• Knowledge and experience with molecular biology.
• Critical thinking, ability to follow and optimize research procedures.
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced, multi-tasked environment.

Additional information

• Job title: Research Assistant.
• Reports to: Production Manager.
• Job location: Edinburgh.
• Job type: Full-time.
• Hours of work: Core working hours are between 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. 40 hours per week including a 1-hour lunch break per day.
• Salary: £25,000 - £30,000 per year depending upon experience.
• Benefits: 28 days holiday (inclusive of 8 public holidays), pension scheme, EMI share options.
• Right to work in the UK: Essential.
• Reference: Upon request.

At Green Bioactives we value and encourage diversity and are committed to promoting equality of opportunity and eliminating discrimination. We are committed to offering support and making reasonable adjustments to allow full participation in the recruitment process. Please let us know of any requirements you have, and we will consider any reasonable adjustments.

Application Instructions

If you are excited about plant biotechnology and meet the above criteria, we would be happy to hear from you. Please apply here

For more information and initial contact info@green-bioactives.co