Full Job Description
Qualification Requirements
You must be a graduate with a degree in one of the following disciplines to be considered for this role:
- Biochemistry
- Biotechnology
- Biology/Biological Science
- Chemical/ Biochemical Engineering
Salary - £28,000 per annum
Benefits
- Holiday Allowance - 28 Days Holiday Allowance per annum, plus Bank Holidays
- Pension - Employee 5%, Employer 3%
- Casual Dress
- Employee assistance programme
- Onsite parking
- Onsite Canteen
- Paid sick leave
- Days off for volunteering
- Employee recognition / awards
Location - 208 Bath Rd, Slough SL1 3WE until approximately August 2026 where UCB will move to new site Sunninghill Road, Windlesham, Surrey, GU20 6PP
Working Hours
Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 17:30pm with 1 hour unpaid lunch break.
10:00am – 16:00pm core working hours and making up the remaining time either side of these hours
Duration - 6 months
Start Date - 3rd November 2025
Interview Date - October 2025
Closing Date for Applications - 24th September 2025
To Apply
Please click the apply now button to submit your CV and Cover Letter. If you have any difficulty in applying, please contact us at [email protected]
Next Steps
Successful candidates will be progressed to a one way video interview, invites will be sent via email.
The video interview will be reviewed by the Hiring Manager along with your application form to decide who is brought through to the final interview.
Job Description
We are currently looking for highly motivated scientists to join the Pharmaceutical Development Sciences department at UCB’s UK Research and Development Hub in Slough. You will be working on a project with, Polysorbates 80 and 20 (PS80 and PS20) are common surfactants used in biological formulations to promote protein stability, minimise particle formation and prevent interfacial adsorption. However, polysorbates are prone to chemical and enzymatic degradation that can lead to the formation of aldehydes, ketones and fatty acids (lauric, myristic and palmitic acid) which can have a detrimental effect on protein stability. Over long-term storage, these fatty acids can accumulate and precipitate leading to the formation of subvisible particles. Sub visible particles are a critical quality attribute (CQA) for biopharmaceutical formulations and their presence can compromise the safety and efficacy of the drug product. The US Pharmacopeia (USP) <787> requires parenteral formulations to have ≤6000 particles of 10 µm and ≤600 particles of 25 µm per container. Current analytical techniques for sub visible particle analysis are time-consuming, require large sample volumes and fail to distinguish proteinaceous particles from polysorbate particles. Therefore, there is a critical need for the development of fast and selective methods for the identification and quantification of polysorbate-related particles3.
You will be tasked with conducting laboratory-based operations utilizing state-of-the-art technology for particle characterization and analysis. You will receive training in the relevant techniques and will have your own mentor to provide help and advice during your time at UCB. You will help to enable the laboratory to function effectively whilst adhering to correct procedures and health and safety guidelines. This represents a great opportunity to work in industry-leading laboratories at the cutting edge of drug development.
Job Responsibilities
You will be tasked with conducting laboratory-based operations utilizing state-of-the-art technology for particle characterization and analysis. You will receive training in the relevant techniques and will have your own mentor to provide help and advice during your time at UCB. You will help to enable the laboratory to function effectively whilst adhering to correct procedures and health and safety guidelines. This represents a great opportunity to work in industry-leading laboratories at the cutting edge of drug development.
Some of the specific tasks you would carry out are:
- Analyse data and interpret results
- Critically analyse information and drive good quality, data driven research
- Prepare solutions, samples and materials
- Perform analytical tests, e.g. Subvisible particle analysis, protein concentration measurements, pH
- Literature review, laboratory training
Project Description
The aim of this project is to develop a high-throughput method to identify and quantify free fatty acid (FFA) particles formed through the degradation of polysorbate 80/20 using Backgrounded Membrane Imaging (BMI) and Fluorescence Membrane Microscopy (FMM) in the Aura+ system (Halo Labs). Different mAb formulations (stressed and non-stressed) will be prepared with various protein and polysorbate concentrations and the total particle count will be determined by BMI. The use of fluorescent labels that selectively bind to different types of particles will enable the identification of proteinaceous vs FFA particles. Samples will be labelled through membrane phase staining with Thioflavin T which specifically binds to protein aggregates and with BODIPY Fl C16 which binds to FFAs and the labelled particles will be counted with FMM. Particle counts obtained through BMI and FMM will then be used to confirm the presence of FFA particles and quantify their relative concentration.
Project Timeline
The estimated duration for this project is 6 months, The general activities are:
- Literature review
- Lab Training
- Design of Experiments and study set up
- Sample preparation
- Proof-of-concept studies (try available protocols)
- Confirmation studies (orthogonal testing)
- Thioflavin T staining protocol optimisation
- PS80 staining protocol optimisation
- PS20 staining protocol optimisation
- Data Analysis
- Report Writing
Candidate Requirements
Personal Qualities
- Attention to detail
- Ability to communicate openly and honestly
- Good record keeping and organisational skills
- Team player
- Enthusiasm
- Great communication skills
- Great organisational skills and attention to detail
Things To Be Considered
Please ensure that you are willing and able to live within commutable distance of the company site before applying. This placement is located in Slough Cogent Skills Placements Service are managing the recruitment for this placement at our client's request, therefore we ask that applications are made through our website please. Please do not contact the Company directly.
About UCB
UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company, with a focus on neurology and immunology.
UCB’s ambition is to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases. We focus on neurology and immunology disorders – putting patients at the centre of our world. We are Inspired by Patients. Driven by Science and are now more than 9000 people in all four corners of the globe.
Our medicines treat millions of people around the world, and we are engaging with patients, their families and healthcare professionals to address their unmet needs. We want to enhance our understanding of disease and the real-life experiences of patients so that our teams can deliver the right drug and the right care to the right patient.
UCB is continuously working to advance science and embrace new knowledge. We are leveraging scientific advances and skills in areas such as genetics, biomarkers and human biology. Patients inspire us to bring them value through cutting-edge science, innovative treatments, and practical solutions – so that they and their carers can get on with their lives.
