Microfluidics Engineer
13 days ago
Oxford
We are partnering with a medical device company in Oxford, based in the Magdalen Centre, Littlemore, developing a culture-free in vitro diagnostics platform for rapid bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing direct from whole blood. The technology integrates Raman spectroscopy, spiral microfluidics separation, and machine learning-driven spectral analysis to deliver clinically actionable results in a fraction of the time required by conventional blood cultural workflows. \n \n The technology has demonstrated excellent performance in laboratory validation, and they are now advancing through a prototyping and pilot study phase, with regulatory submissions planned under FDA and EU IVDR pathways. \n \n Microfluidics sits at the heart of our platform: it is how they take whole blood and deliver clean, concentrated, viable cells to the optical system. The person they hire will join a small, close-knit microfluidics team and have a direct and lasting influence on how their sample-preparation technology is designed, de-risked, and manufactured at scale. \n \n About the Role \n\n • Contribute to the design and optimisation of microfluidic devices and flow systems across our bacterial ID, AST, and fungal applications\n, • Design, build, and test prototypes, including experimental validation on biological samples\n, • Plan and run structured experiments and characterisation studies (e.g. design of experiments) to quantify performance and process robustness\n, • Analyse system performance and troubleshoot fluidic behaviour, using data to drive design decisions\n, • Develop and qualify cartridge sealing, bonding, and surface-treatment strategies working with internal teams and external partners\n, • Contribute to improving robustness, reliability, and scalability of devices\n, • Design for manufacture and scale-up, translating prototypes into robust, high-yield designs suited to volume-replication routes\n, • Engage with external fabrication and manufacturing partners\n, • Take ownership of specific subsystems or experiments from concept through testing and iteration\n, • Make engineering trade-offs between performance, manufacturability, and cost\n, • Work within the QMS, moving fluidly between rapid prototyping and regulated product development\n, • Create sub-system requirements from overall system and product requirements, and develop microfluidic systems that meet both\n, • Ensure engineering concepts are grounded in biological reality, working closely with our scientists\n, • Plan, capture, and record design rationale, protocols, and results in clear engineering documentation to support verification, validation, and regulatory submission\n\n \n About the Candidate \n Essential \n\n • Degree in engineering, physics, or a related quantitative discipline, or equivalent practical experience\n, • Strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics or transport phenomena\n, • Proven hands-on experience with experimental systems or prototyping; designing, building, and testing physical devices, fluidic systems, or experimental hardware, ideally in a commercial setting\n, • Ability to operate independently, prioritise in a fast-moving startup environment, and communicate concepts clearly to colleagues with backgrounds in other disciplines.\n, • Confident integrating into a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and clinicians\n, • Pragmatic problem solver who is open to constructive challenge with a continuous improvement mindset\n\n \n Desirable \n\n • Experience with microfluidics, lab-on-chip systems, or small-scale fluid systems\n, • Familiarity with CAD, preferably Solidworks\n, • Experience scaling microfluidics systems for high volume manufacture Familiarity with microfabrication and replication techniques and the tolerances they impose\n, • Experience with surface functionalisation, bonding and sealing of polymers\n, • Experience handling biological samples (e.g. blood or cell suspensions) and associated safety practice\n, • Familiarity with design of experiments (DOE) and statistical analysis of test data\n, • Experience developing microfluidic devices coupled with optical detection and analytical workflows\n, • Working knowledge of (one or more) ISO 13485:2016, ISO 14971, EU IVDR, and FDA 21 CFR Part 820\n, • Experience in an early-stage startup or spin-out environment experiencing rapid growth\n\n