We are delighted to welcome applications for a Hub Manager to join us at the Nottingham Engineering Biology Labs research cluster, as part of the core management team of the new GlycoCell UKRI Engineering Biology Mission Hub!
Background
This is a key moment for Engineering Biology in the UK and globally, as Synthetic Biology technologies mature and are applied to critical unmet needs in biomedicine and sustainable biomanufacturing. The potential for transformative positive health, planetary, commercial and social impacts is huge. Recognising this, the UK recently invested £125 million in Engineering Biology, formed dedicated Engineering Biology funding and policy teams in UKRI and DSIT and a new Ministerial advisory group, held a House of Lords inquiry, and published a National Vision for Engineering Biology.
GlycoCell and the other Mission Hubs are the UK’s flagship investments in Engineering Biology at this crucial time. GlycoCell’s focus is the application of Engineering Biology to Glycoengineering, enabling the development and production of vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and new drug targets. We have established transformative capacity to deliver this work and built an excellent collaborative, multidisciplinary consortium of experts developing and applying a range of different biotechnologies, at different technology readiness levels (TRLs), to numerous biomedical targets and applications.
GlycoCell already includes 11 investigators, 6 UK academic institutions (Nottingham, LSHTM, Imperial, Exeter, Quadram, Dundee), 3 core industrial partners and many other team members - but will grow from this starting point. GlycoCell began in 2024 and is already funded until at least 2029, with ambitions, plans and expectations to continue. GlycoCell has already secured additional ‘Seed Corn’ funding to foster the development and growth of commercial opportunities arising from GlycoCell.
About the role
This is an exceptional opportunity to join the core leadership and management team of this exciting new flagship organisation, which already has a high profile in the UK, and will become very prominent internationally over the coming years. Coordinating the many people, activities and assets of the GlycoCell consortium is mission-critical, so the Hub Manager will be key to GlycoCell’s success, enabling GlycoCell to be greater than the sum of its parts and deliver on its huge potential.
The Hub Manager will be part of a large team including academics, postdoctoral researchers, PhD students and technical specialists with real capacity to deliver on ambitious objectives leading to excellent impacts and outputs, and the opportunity to support and mentor others. We intend to develop future leaders in our field here.
The Hub manager will work closely with the Principal Investigator and others on strategy, growth, project management, coordinating with the GlycoCell partner organisations, managing operations (working with our lab manager at Nottingham), commercialisation, team management and recruitment, finances, working with the funder, reporting & compliance, contracts, communications and events, identifying and developing opportunities including for further funding and hub sustainability, and other appropriate work.
About us
We are passionate about impact, so as well as doing and publishing excellent research, we often work closely with industry, and we undertake all steps of the innovation pipeline from ideation and invention through to commercialisation, including licensing our technologies to industry and founding startup companies to drive impact.
We are housed in the Biodiscovery Institute, the University of Nottingham’s flagship 800-researcher research complex on the leafy University Park campus. This very well-equipped and well-resourced facility with labs, offices, meeting facilities and eating, coffee and breakout spaces all under one roof is the perfect home for us.
Our Nottingham Engineering Biology Labs research cluster is a friendly, welcoming, inclusive and supportive research environment, with a great positive culture. Our members engage with furthering equality, diversity, and inclusion through our activities both within Nottingham and nationally. We are proud that both the University of Nottingham and our home School of Life Sciences hold Athena Swan Gold awards for advancing gender equality.
Employment details
The advertised post is a full-time (36.35 hours), fixed term role until 13 Feb 2029 in the first instance. Hybrid, part-time and/or job share arrangements may be considered. Requests for secondment from internal candidates may be considered on the basis that prior agreement has been sought from both your current line manager and the manager of your substantive post, if you are already undertaking a secondment role. Please upload a copy of your CV and cover letter as part of your application.
Enquiries
Informal enquiries before application may be addressed to Prof John Heap john.heap@nottingham.ac.uk. Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.
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