Research scientist/Bacteriologist (ID 3958)

Posting date:	22 September 2025
Salary:	£38,795 to £41,375 per year
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	13 October 2025
Location:	KT15 3NB
Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	427239/1

Summary

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 3,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for benefit of the environment and economy.

The Science Directorate (SD) delivers high quality, high impact and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. Our People are diverse, talented, engaged and inspired to deliver innovative outcomes.

The post is based at the National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter which is within the Department of Bacteriology at APHA Weybridge. It will support the delivery of research and surveillance projects across the field epidemiology workgroup, primarily supporting research and surveillance projects on Campylobacter (zoonoses and animal pathogen) with occasional work on other bacteria as required.

• To deliver research and surveillance into bacterial zoonoses with a focus on Campylobacter.
• To organise and co-ordinate laboratory and field work as required.
• Contribute to the management and leadership of the National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter in Animals.
• To hold a depth of knowledge on Campylobacter microbiology and associated epidemiology.
• To provide technical advice and support to Campylobacter disease consultants, project leaders, management, regional laboratories, Defra and external organisations.
• To provide test consultancy across the Campylobacter test portfolio.
• To develop and maintain expertise in detection, enumeration and characterisation (phenotyping, genotyping, AMR profiling) of food borne pathogens and specifically Campylobacter and take part in quality assurance exercises.
• To maintain and develop quality systems within the team, including maintenance of IS017025 (UKAS) and ISO9001 (LRQA) accreditation and lead preparations for quality audits and responses.
• To support the implementation of safety procedures and standards across the workgroup.
• To assist with the planning, delivery, data analysis and reporting for research and surveillance projects on foodborne zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance.
• To lead on the design and delivery of microbiology work packages from concept through to analysis and reporting.
• To collate and statistically analyse data and produce project reports, scientific publications and presentations.
• To facilitate the meeting of project milestones and fulfil APHA published output targets.
• To liaise and collaborate with other groups within and outside APHA, including epidemiology and bioinformatics teams to deliver multidisciplinary projects.
• To develop a close working relationship with other work-groups and take a leading role in the development of new research proposals.

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