An R&D Chemist is required to join the flame retardants department of a specialty chemicals manufacturer based in the North West, UK.
This R&D Chemist position will encompass the following duties:
You will conduct self-directed R&D of new flame retardant products.
Performing chemical synthesis.
You will also analyse, characterisation and develop processes and experiments to generate suitable compounds for various polymer systems. Commercially viable synthesis procedures will be generated for selected compounds to the point of pilot production.
You will collaborate with business leadership, technical service and application development labs to plan and conduct flame testing on these compounds.
Aswell as supporting patent applications, you will monitor and report on relevant academic research, industry trends, and competitive activity through literature searches, technical conference attendance, and communication with Sales and Marketing teams.
Organisation and evaluation of results will be required and you will be expected to give written and oral reports to business teams and peers.
To be considered for this R&D Chemist position the following is required:
The ability to independently plan and conduct experiments in organic chemical synthesis and proficiency with MS Excel and MS Office software.
Analytical knowledge for data analysis. Familiarity with chromatographic and spectroscopic nstrumentation and analysis.
Knowledge of and the ability to conduct chemical literature searching. A PhD (or equivalent) is preferred but BSc/ MSc (or equivalent) may be considered with appropriate experience in industry.
The desired qualification will be in organic chemistry. Experience within the field is a necessity.
Apply now
For more information, or to apply for this R&D Chemist job, please contact Victoria Walker at CK Science on 0114 283 9956 or email vwalker@ckscience.co.uk.
As reported in the Daily Telegraph, AstraZeneca has recruited leading Scientist Martin Mackay who was previously working at the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, to lead its research and development operations.
Mackay joined Pfizer in 1995 as head of pharmatherapeutics R&D and was a member of the executive leadership team. He is set to join AstraZeneca on 1st July 2010 and will be taking on the role of president of R&D.
Speaking of Mackay’s arrival to the team, chief executive of AstraZeneca, David Brennan, said the scientist had “impeccable scientific and leadership credentials combined with extensive experience of the pharmaceutical industry”. He added: “I am delighted he is joining us. We have a clear and unambiguous commitment to creating value through innovative biopharmaceuticals with research and development at the heart of our strategy.”
The recruitment of Mackay represents the British drug makers attempt to overhaul its R&D operations and strengthen its drug pipeline.
The Yorkshire-based Biotechnology company, Kirkstall Ltd is hosting an event which will discuss the latest research into in-vitro testing.
Kirkstall Ltd develops innovative testing technologies at its Kroto Innovation Centre laboratories based in Sheffield. The biotech company will be hosting the event to discuss new developments in human-cell based testing in Montpellier in France on May 26th and May 26th.
Topics covered will span from regulatory procedures to reducing the need for animal testing. Not only this, but Sheila MacNeil, a professor at the University of Sheffield will be presenting her paper on 3d tissue engineering models for research and development.
Kirkstall recently received by than £100,000 of equity funding following its involvement in Grant Thornton’s Investing in Health programme. The funding has enabled the biotech company to further develop its technologies whilst building on its reputation. This has lead to the biotechnology company to win its first significant three-year contact in toxicity testing.
Managing Director of Kirkstall, Malcom Wilkinson, has stated, “We’ve had a fantastic response to the event so far with more than 90 people registered to attend. The key reason there is so much interest is that there are some serious unmet needs at the moment in toxicity testing which our technologies can address.
“It is a great opportunity to bring together leading researchers from the industry and also shows the benefits of working with academic research teams and key opinion leaders in the biotechnology market place.”
A biotechnology company is currently looking for an Automation Scientist to join their team based in Cambridgeshire, UK.
As an Automation Scientist, you will be working with scientists in Research and Development where you will help evaluate current laboratory practices and help devise methods of automating practical work so that they can be performed in a more streamlined and efficient.
Working as an Automation Scientist, you will help install, test and validate new laboratory automation to ensure that it is fit for purpose and will help support and modify existing laboratory automation to ensure that it operates to a high standard and evolves to meet the changing needs of scientists.
This Automation Scientist role will also require you to help train and advise users on the optimal use of laboratory automation. Communication and collaboration with others forms a major part of this role. As part of the Automation team you will work at the bench to test laboratory automation and validate that the automation performs to the required standard and delivers benefits to the scientists.
The ideal candidate for this Automation Scientist job will have a degree or HNC/D in Life Sciences, Computing or near equivalent. You will also need laboratory skills in microbiology, molecular biology or assay work to work with scientists performing diverse laboratory processes before and after automation.
This Automation Scientist also demands a candidate with experience in inautomated liquid handlers, plate readers, automation software and equipment (Tecan, PerkinElmer, Biotek, Genetix and Velocity 11). Familiarity with additional automation platforms is also a plus.
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a leading biotech company in the beautiful surroundings of Cambridgeshire, UK.
Apply now
For more information, or to apply for this Automation Scientist job now, please contact Julie Marshall at CK Science on 01438 723500 or email jmarshall@ckscience.co.uk.
Having recently completed a takeover of Cadbury’s, the leading food manufacturerKraft Foods is planning to consolidate its research and development facilities and headquarters to the UK. The move is set to cut up to 600 British jobs at their current site in Cheltenham.
Kraft Foods is the name behind some of the world’s top food brands Dairy Milk, Toblerone and Green & Blacks will make Bourneville in the West Midlands, the centre of it’s research and development activity. Both Cadbury’s and Kraft Foods staff on the Bourneville site to create a global ‘Centre of Excellence.’
Kraft will move its current offices based in Cheltenham in 2011 and will transfer to their new offices in Bourneville within the following 18 months. Kraft’s Cheltenham site currently employs 450 staff.
Nick Bunker, President of Kraft Foods UK & Ireland said:“The UK is one of the company’s most important markets. Kraft Foods has been here for more than 85 years and Cadbury, of course, was founded here.
“We would be very sad to leave Cheltenham and we would provide significant resources to support employees from all affected sites during the move.
“However, the business rationale is compelling. Having our R&D, customer service and support functions working side-by-side will enable us share more insights, act more quickly and execute more flawlessly, thereby accelerating our growth.”
Our client is a global leader in the health, personal and household sectors. They are currently looking to recruit a Development Chemist to work at their site in Hull on a permanent basis.
This Development Chemist role will involve being responsible for carrying out product development activities on projects in one or more platforms of the Aircare R&D Portfolio. You will actively contribute towards the development of consumer preferred products from concept to production and launch.
The ideal candidate for this Development Chemist role will be educated to degree level, or equivalent, in a scientific discipline and have experience within a product development role within an FMCG environment. Knowledge and experience of relevant Aircare technologies is an advantage but not essential.
How to Apply
For more information, or to apply for this Development Chemist job, please contact Philippa Robertson at CK Science on0114 2839956 or email probertson@ckscience.co.uk. Please quote reference SH19445 in allcorrespondence.
If you do not hear back from us within 5 working days of your application for this role, it means that on this occasion you have not been shortlisted for the next stage of the recruitment campaign. Entitlement to work in the EEA is essential.
About CK Science
CK Science is the largest independent scientific recruitment company in the UK. Our team of specialist recruiters are here to help you achieve your career ambitions within the scientific industry. We actively offer you careers advice, help with writing your CV, assistance with interview preparation and up-to-date information about the industry. We pride ourselves on providing an honest, straight-forward and trustworthy service to both our clients and candidates.
According to a report by The Royal Society, if the UK does not invest heavily in science and scientific research, it will face decades of sluggish economic decline.
The report warned that Britain’s current advantage is in danger of being wiped out by the US, China, India, France and Germany who have increased spending in science to help boost their economies. For instance, the German government has said it will increase their budget for education and research by 12bn Euros by 2013.
Sir Martin Taylor, chair of the report’s advisory group stated: “As France announces a new €35bn investment in the knowledge economy, the UK cuts university budgets by £600m, with the threat of more to come.
“The UK has been in the top two of the scientific premier league for the last 350 years. It would seem obvious that politicians would recognise the need to invest in this competitive advantage rather than cutting funds.”
Lord Waldegrave, former Science Minister and provost of Eton College said: “Times are tough but this is exactly when you need to invest in the future and focus spending where you already have an advantage.
“Investment in science cannot be turned on and off on a political whim – we must have a long-term investment. If we cut science now, just as the benefits of nearly twenty years of consistent policy are really beginning to bear fruit, we will seriously damage our economic prospects.”
The report praises the fact that patents granted to UK universities have increase by 136% between 2000 and 2008, and that university spin outs employed 14,000 people in 2007/2008 with a turnover of £1.1bn. However, it seems that research and development is a weakness for the UK – in 2007 British companies spent 1.14% of GDP on R&D while in the US spent 1.9% and Germany 1.8%.
Experts in the field recommend the following to help remedy the situation:
Creating a 15 year framework for science and innovation with increased spending.
Prioritising investment in scientific skills and infrastructure, such as laboratories and equipment.
Better aligning science and innovation with global challenges.
Revitalising science and mathematics education.
And expanding the R&D tax credit.
Lord Sainsbury, the former science minister and member of the advisory group said: “We cannot compete with countries such as China and India on the basis of low wages, and science and innovation must, therefore, be the basis of the strategy for growth which we need to have as we go into a tough period of fiscal consolidation.”
As reported on the Times Online, the Pharmaceutical Industry giant, AstraZeneca plans to cut 1,200 UK Pharmaceutical jobs. The job cuts are a result of the company’s suspension of their research into various disease areas.
The company plans to close its research and development facility based in Leicestershire, along with another small plant in Cambridge. Pharmaceutical development work at the Avlon facility near Bristol will also cease. Some of the workers will move to the company’s Alderly Park in Cheshire which is AstraZeneca’s largest research and development plant.
This will come as disappointing news to the Government, who created the Office of Life Sciences last year in a bid to increased the number of science and pharmaceutical jobs. The head of the Office of Life Sciences, Lord Drayson, said “I’m obviously disappointed that AstraZeneca is closing Charnwood, but the announcement that Alderley Park will become one of AstraZeneca’s top three global R&D sites shows that the UK remains an attractive location for investment in pharmaceuticals.”
Earlier in the year, AstraZeneca announced that they planned to cut 8,000 jobs around the world by 2014, including 3,500 in research and development, as part of a large-scale refocusing of the business.
Today, AstraZeneca, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, has announced that it is planning to cut a further 8,000 jobs across its global operations over the next four years as its targets cost savings of around $1.8 billion.
Having already cut about 12,600 jobs, further job cuts will be made in functions such as sales and marketing, business infrastructure, research and development, and the supply chain.
The group has a number of operations across the UK, including its head office in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and sites in Alderley Park, Loughborough, Bristol, Luton and London. An AstraZeneca spokeswoman said the company had yet to reveal how many UK positions would be affected at these sites.
Our client, an MHRA licensed pharmaceutical manufacturing organization, are currently seeking a Research & Development Manager to join their team based in London. The company produce off licence Specials, licensed medicinal products and medical devices and specialise in the manufacture and development of sterile liquid products in a variety of presentations.
Working as a Sterile R&D Manager, you will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the Pharmaceutical manufacturing unit’s research and development strategy. Main responsibilities of this research and development role will include:
To be a participating member of the Pharmaceutical Research and Development Committee.
To assist in the commissioning and validation of premises, plant, equipment and processes.
Responsible for training staff in Good Control Laboratory Practice and other matters relating to Research and Development
To deputise for the QC Laboratory Manager in the day to day running of the Quality Control Laboratory and in his/her absence to be responsible for assessing the results of testing on raw materials, packaging components and intermediate solutions and if the standard is satisfactory to release them for further processing.
To co-operate with the QC Laboratory Manager to achieve the most cost effective use of equipment and resources
To manage R&D budget with agreed target
To assist the Quality Assurance Officer in the formulation of new ophthalmic Medicinal Products and Medical Devices.
The ideal candidate will be a strong analytical chemist with proven experience and the ability to develop new analytical testing methods for new products, trouble shoot and improve existing methods. It is essential that you have experience with Sterile Liquids gained in the Pharmaceutical industry and a good business and technical understanding of new technology in analytical chemistry would be preferred. Any experience with Ophthalmology would be highly advantageous.
This is a great opportunity for the right candidate to progress their career with a growing, dynamic pharmaceutical manufacturing organization who have an exciting future.
If you would like to hear more about this role, please contact Jason Johal on 01438 723500 or email jjohal@ckscience.co.uk.
If you are successful after the first round of screening we will contact you within 5 working days. Entitlement to work in the EEA is essential. Please quote reference ST19103 in all correspondence.
About CK Science
CK Science is the largest independent scientific recruitment company in the UK. Our team of specialist recruiters are here to help you achieve your career ambitions within the scientific industry. We actively offer you careers advice, help with writing your CV, assistance with interview preparation and up-to-date information about the industry. We pride ourselves on providing an honest, straight-forward and trustworthy service to both our clients and candidates.
