Job Description

Join us as a Senior Scientist and make an invaluable contribution to our Food Safety & Biosecurity!
As a Senior Scientist in our Detection and Surveillance Technologies (DST) team, you'll lead and contribute to cutting-edge R&D projects focused on plant and environmental bacteriology. You will play a pivotal role in developing innovative methods, delivering key milestones, and collaborating with science leads and principal scientists to advance our capabilities in this critical area.
What you'll be doing:

• Leading and contributing to R&D projects, including planning, experimentation, data analysis, and reporting.
• Developing and implementing new bacteriology methods to support DST projects.
• Collaborating with Science Leads and Principal Scientists to drive scientific advancements.
• Leading and contributing to bid writing activities, scientific papers and project reports.
• Coordinate resources across teams to ensure successful project delivery.
• Training staff and students in molecular diagnostics.
• Monitor project progress and ensure timely, high-quality reporting.
• Promote and uphold ISO 17025 and ISO 9001 standards.
• Oversee Plant Health Quarantine laboratories (Containment Level 2) and ensure compliance with health and safety protocols.
• Deliver presentations and training to colleagues, clients, and at conferences.
• Liaise directly with clients, including DEFRA and commercial partners.

What we're looking for:

• A MSc or PhD in a relevant subject plus significant experience.
• Strong skills in cultural and molecular techniques (e.g., MALDI-TOF, DNA extraction, RT-PCR, LAMP).
• Experience working with a range of sample types, including plants and environmental samples.
• Knowledge of epidemiology, etiology, and management of plant pathogenic bacteria and phytoplasmas.
• Familiarity with experimental glasshouse work and molecular method development.
• Experience with antimicrobial susceptibility testing, biopesticides, and bio-stimulants would be beneficial.

What's in it for you?

• ?25 days' holiday (rising to 29) with the opportunity to buy & sell extra leave.
• Flexible working hours, on-site gym, restaurant, and free parking
• The opportunity to take a paid day out of the office, volunteering for our charity partners or a cause of your choice
• Company matched pension, life assurance, a cycle2work scheme, 15 weeks' fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paternity pay of two weeks...and plenty more.
• Voluntary benefits designed to suit your lifestyle - from discounts on retail and socialising, to health & wellbeing, travel and technology
• Fera operates a LTIP ( Long Term Incentive Plan) under which all employees are awarded points towards shares in the Employee Benefits Trust on an annual basis. The Employee Benefits Trust holds shares on behalf of our employee, at the point of an equity event the shares will realise a cash value.

What we hope you'll do next:
Choose 'Apply now' to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you. If you have any questions you'd like to ask before applying, you can contact
We're an equal opportunity employer, which means we recruit and develop people based on their merit and passion. We're committed to providing an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment process and working environment for everyone. If you need the job description or application form in an alternative format or if you'd like to discuss other changes or support you might need going forward, please email at and we'll get back to you.
At Fera, we're making the world a better, healthier and safer place. We're a joint venture partnership between Bridgepoint and Defra and we're working proactively to protect the world we live in and the food we eat. Our teams are investigating plant and bee health, crop protection and sustainable agriculture. Join us and discover better as you deliver world-class science for the future.

Skills Required