Research Assistant

Hours per Week: 14

Contract Type: Fixed Term - 24 Months

Closing Date: 23.59 hours GMT on Friday 20 February 2026  (unless otherwise stated*)

Interview Date: To be confirmed

We are seeking a motivated Research Assistant to work within the Centre for Advanced Diagnostics Development and Application (CADDA) at the University of Kent to help ensure timely delivery of CADDA activities and outputs as outlined in the grant proposal. 

This CADDA post will be situated within Dr Ellis’ research group within the School of Natural Sciences that has a focus on developing and providing diagnostic services to the human and livestock fertility industries. In this role you will provide essential support in all aspects of the diagnostic pipeline from assay design to delivery and work closely with collaborators and industrial partners. The role will involve liaising with industrial partners to extend the partner base, conducting diagnostic tests on samples, reporting results, and designing research programmes to extend and improve the services provided. The role provides an opportunity to work closely with Dr Ellis’ group, CADDA and other partners, to provide diagnostics to healthcare and livestock breeding industries and to carry out cutting edge applied research in related technology development. 

For further information about the role please contact Dr Ellis on p.j.i.ellis@kent.ac.uk.

As a Research Assistant you can expect to be involved in:

• Carrying out diagnostic procedures on human an animal samples, and experimental work to improve and extend the range of our diagnostic services.
• Drafting reports, maintaining statistics and interactions so that these can be reported back to the funder.
• Liaising with existing and new partners to increase awareness and uptake of the assays we provide by relevant stakeholders including IVF clinics and andrology clinics (for human diagnostics), livestock breeders and genetics companies (for animal diagnostics)
• Participating in CADDA events and activities as required by the CADDA management and in line with the grant agreement

What will you bring to the role?

• A relevant degree or equivalent in a discipline related to the research project (e.g. biomedical science, genetics, biology, biochemistry)
• Experience in conducting basic research tasks, such as experiments, fieldwork, surveys, or literature reviews
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to plan and manage day-to-day research activities while meeting deadlines

What we can offer in return:

As a member of our team, you can expect a friendly, open and collaborative working environment and support in your development and wellbeing. You'll enjoy a range of great staff benefits including:

• Hybrid working options allowing a flexible blend of office and home working (to be agreed in line with business needs)
• 43 days' leave per year (personal leave, bank holidays and additional days allocated for the Christmas period, pro rata for part-time staff)
• Excellent pension scheme with generous employer contributions
• Corporate employee-funded healthcare plan, in partnership with Benenden Health

For more information about what you can look forward to if you join us, visit our dedicated webpage: Working at Kent

We are ambitious for our people, our communities and the region we serve – join us in making the world a better place. Visit our website for more on who we are: http://www.kent.ac.uk/about/

Please see the links below to view the full job description and to apply for this post. For further information regarding the application process, please contact peopleserviceshr@kent.ac.uk quoting reference number SNS-063-26-R

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