Scientist, Bio-image Analysis & Operations

Location: Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge

Type: Full time, permanent

Start: Immediate

Salary: Competitive / Hours: 40 p/w

Lab Based Position (Cambridge)

 

Your role in our team:

We are looking for a versatile Scientist with expertise in both advanced microscopy and bio-image analysis to join our Imaging Facility. Reporting to the Imaging Lead within the Automation and Technical Facilities team, you will play a dual role: ensuring our state-of-the-art imaging hardware is performing at its peak and developing the automated analysis pipelines that turn raw pixels into biological insights.

You will work cross-functionally to support the entire bit.bio product workflow, from early-stage discovery to production quality control, ensuring our imaging capabilities remain at the forefront of the industry.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Imaging Operations: Contribute to the day-to-day maintenance and troubleshooting of the facility’s high-end light microscopy instrumentation to ensure maximum uptime and data quality.
• Workflow Development: Maintain and expand in-house bio-image analysis pipelines. You will assess project requirements, select the appropriate tools, and build automated, well-documented, user-friendly workflows for staff across the organisation.
• Image data integration: Contribute to the development of best-practice workflows to integrate image data with technical and experimental metadata to fuel downstream data models.
• User Empowerment: Provide high-level training and support to scientists on both microscope operation and image analysis software, fostering a culture of best practices in data acquisition and management.
• Automation & Integration: Work with the Automation team to integrate imaging workflows into larger automation and data pipelines, supporting high-throughput phenotyping and QC.
• Documentation & Compliance: Develop and maintain SOPs, risk assessments, and COSHH documentation, ensuring all imaging activities meet health, safety, and data integrity standards.
• Innovation: Assist the Imaging Lead in evaluating and implementing novel imaging technologies and AI-based analysis methods (Deep Learning/Machine Learning) to keep the facility at the cutting edge.

You…

• Will have a minimum Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in a relevant Biological or Physical Science subject (or equivalent experience) with demonstrable industry experience in a core facility or high-throughput imaging environment.
• Possess a "problem-solver" mindset, comfortable with both the physical mechanics of a microscope and the logic of a complex script.
• Are a clear communicator, capable of translating complex image analysis concepts for non-expert end users.
• Are meticulous regarding data integrity, traceability, and documentation.

With essential experience in…

• Advanced Microscopy: Hands-on experience with high-end imaging systems (e.g., confocal, widefield, and high-content screening platforms).
• Open-Source Bio-image Analysis: Proficiency in building and deploying workflows using tools such as Python, napari, Fiji/ImageJ, CellProfiler, or KNIME.
• Pipeline Development: Demonstrated ability to create automated, end-user facing analysis routines that handle large datasets efficiently.
• Data Management: Experience managing large-scale image data and an understanding of bio-image metadata standards.

...and possibly....

• AI/ML Expertise: Experience implementing "off-the-shelf" or custom deep learning models for segmentation, restoration, or classification (e.g., StarDist, Cellpose, Careamics) and/or experience building custom model architectures using PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Software Engineering: Familiarity with version control (Git) and containerization (Docker) for deploying analysis environments.
• Standardisation: Experience working within a Quality Management System (QMS) or developing validated assays for production QC.