Research Scientist

Location: New Haw, South East England, KT15 3NB

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 safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of our environment, and the economy.

Do you have a passion for making a difference? Can you support our work protecting GB from animal disease threats? An opportunity has arisen within the Salmonella Genomics team, Department of Bacteriology for a scientist to make an impact and develop their skills and knowledge while providing vital support to the study of food-borne and veterinary pathogens. The successful candidate will support & contribute towards the maintenance and development of a WGS-based analytical pipeline for in-silico typing of veterinary Salmonella isolates. The post holder will receive training to gain proficiency in a wide range of in-silico analyses methods routinely carried out in the Salmonella Genomics team.

This post is based at our specialised laboratory site in Weybridge, Surrey where an extensive redevelopment programme is underway to provide world-class facilities for our science and people.

We are seeking enthusiastic applicants with a science background, relevant experience, knowledge of Linux command line & familiarity with at least one of the Python and R programming languages.

Inclusion, support and the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA. Our benefits include generous annual leave, a contributory pension, staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme.

A full job specification and role requirements can be found attached to this vacancy.

Other Information

The Weybridge site is a strategically important national asset due to its role as a reference laboratory supporting the Government’s response to national emergencies including disease outbreaks. For this reason all post holders based on the APHA Weybridge site must hold a valid Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) security clearance or above. It is up to each person applying for a post at APHA Weybridge to ensure they meet the CTC residency criteria. Applicants must be currently resident in the UK & have a minimum of 3 years continuous UK residency.

Closing date: 11 December 2025.

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