Senior MEMS Development Engineer - Pathogen

At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we’re on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges in four transformative areas:

• Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
• Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
• Climate Change & Managing CO₂
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

This is ambitious work - work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you’ll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society. Explore more at .

Welcome to the Pathogen Programme

Within this ecosystem, the Pathogen Mission exemplifies EIT’s commitment to transformative science. It aims to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases by leveraging whole genome sequencing (WGS)-based metagenomic and pathogen-specific analytical tools. This remit includes the development of a decentralised, sample-to-answer sequencing diagnostic platform for infectious diseases, enabling rapid and accurate analysis of patient samples without prior assumptions. Supported by Oracle Inc.’s cloud-computing scale and security infrastructure, the Pathogen Mission is progressing towards certified diagnostic products for deployment in laboratories, hospitals, and public health organisations worldwide.

Your Role

We're seeking an experienced and innovative Senior MEMS Development Engineer to develop novel microfabricated devices and sensor interfaces for next-generation nanopore sequencing technologies.

This hands-on role will focus on designing, prototyping, and characterising MEMS devices, taking concepts from proof-of-concept through to integrated multi-channel sensing systems. Working closely with a Senior Electronics R&D Engineer, you'll drive device development through iterative design, testing, and optimisation.

You'll tackle challenges spanning microfabrication, materials, device architecture, and MEMS-electronics integration while collaborating with external fabrication partners and technical suppliers. As the programme grows, you'll help establish the MEMS engineering capabilities, processes, and technical foundations needed to support a wider multidisciplinary team.

Key Responsibilities

• Take technical ownership of the MEMS engineering development of novel microfabricated sensing structures and device interfaces, from early concepts through to functional prototypes and integrated systems.
• Design and develop microfabricated devices and test structures, including the selection of materials, fabrication processes and device geometries.
• Develop and evaluate fabrication approaches using established semiconductor and MEMS manufacturing techniques, adapting processes to meet the requirements of novel sensing devices.
• Work closely with the Senior Electrical R&D Engineer to co-develop and evaluate prototype devices, using experimental findings to guide iterative improvements in MEMS design and electronic integration.
• Design and characterise mechanical, electrical and material interfaces, investigating their influence on device performance, reliability and repeatability.
• Develop experimental methods and test structures to assess fabrication quality, dimensional accuracy, device performance and reliability.
• Investigate the effects of materials, surface properties, fabrication tolerances and assembly processes on device behaviour and performance.
• Collaborate with electrical and mechanical engineers to develop prototype assemblies, alignment methods and experimental test platforms.
• Identify and resolve fabrication challenges through design iteration, experimental characterisation and failure analysis.
• Develop increasingly sophisticated prototype devices as the project progresses, supporting the transition from initial feasibility studies to integrated nanopore sensing systems.
• Identify and engage specialist external fabrication facilities, engineering suppliers and technical collaborators to support the development and manufacture of prototype components and devices.
• Define technical specifications and fabrication requirements for external suppliers, including design documentation, material requirements, dimensional tolerances and performance criteria.
• Coordinate technical activities with external suppliers and collaborators, reviewing fabrication approaches, monitoring progress and evaluating deliverables against agreed requirements.
• Plan and execute structured experiments, analyse performance data and translate findings into engineering requirements and design improvements.
• Contribute to the selection and development of fabrication methods, considering manufacturability, scalability, cost and process reliability.
• Maintain clear technical documentation, design records and experimental results, contributing to intellectual property development and technical reviews while ensuring appropriate confidentiality.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring as the engineering team expands, helping establish robust engineering practices and development processes.

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

We welcome applicants from industry, applied research and academia who can demonstrate strong technical expertise and practical engineering capability.

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Significant experience in MEMS engineering, semiconductor microfabrication or microdevice development, ideally involving novel sensors, electronic interfaces or precision microfabricated systems.
• Strong understanding of MEMS design principles, materials selection and microfabrication techniques.
• Experience designing microfabricated devices using CAD tools, including the preparation of layouts, fabrication drawings or photolithography mask designs.
• Practical knowledge of semiconductor and MEMS manufacturing processes, such as photolithography, thin-film deposition, etching, surface treatment and metallisation.
• Experience developing and characterising prototype devices, including dimensional, mechanical and electrical evaluation.
• Ability to understand and resolve fabrication challenges through experimental investigation, design modification and process optimisation.
• Knowledge of material properties, fabrication tolerances and their influence on device functionality and reliability.
• Experience planning and executing structured experimental programmes to characterise complex devices and resolve technical challenges.
• Ability to work independently, establish technical approaches and deliver functional prototypes in an early-stage R&D environment.
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and translating requirements between MEMS, electronics, mechanical engineering and device fabrication.
• Ability to develop clear technical specifications and work effectively with external fabrication facilities, engineering suppliers or development partners.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience developing MEMS or microfabricated devices for biosensing, electrochemical sensing, nanopore technologies or other sensor applications.
• Knowledge of silicon micromachining, wafer processing and microelectronic device fabrication.
• Experience with microfabricated electrodes, conductive thin films, dielectric materials or electronic sensor interfaces.
• Familiarity with microelectronic packaging, device assembly, bonding and integration of MEMS with electronic systems.
• Experience with polymeric materials, elastomeric components or other compliant materials used in microsystems.
• Knowledge of mechanical contact behaviour, surface interactions, material deformation and reliability testing at small length scales.
• Experience with optical microscopy, electron microscopy, profilometry, surface analysis or other microdevice characterisation techniques.
• Experience designing devices that incorporate fluidic, electrochemical or biological components.
• Familiarity with finite element analysis or other simulation methods for mechanical, thermal or material behaviour.
• Experience working with external MEMS foundries, academic cleanroom facilities or specialist microfabrication suppliers.
• Knowledge of fabrication process development, process yield improvement and quality control.
• Understanding of design for manufacture, engineering reliability and transitioning prototype devices towards scalable production.

Key Attributes

• Hands-on and inventive: Enjoys solving technical challenges through practical engineering, experimentation and rapid prototyping.
• Comfortable with early-stage R&D: Able to work effectively where solutions are not yet established and technical requirements evolve through experimentation.
• Analytical and systematic: Uses sound engineering judgement and quantitative evidence to understand complex behaviour and guide design decisions.
• Collaborative: Works closely with specialists in electronics, mechanical engineering, chemistry and MEMS fabrication, as well as external technical partners, to develop integrated solutions.
• Independent and proactive: Can establish experimental capabilities, identify priorities and progress technical work with limited existing infrastructure.
• Technically ambitious: Motivated by challenging engineering problems and developing technologies with the potential for substantial real-world impact.
• Clear communicator: Able to explain complex technical challenges, document findings and communicate requirements effectively with colleagues, suppliers and external collaborators.

Benefits

• Salary: Competitive + travel allowance + bonus
• Enhanced holiday pay
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box
• Electric Car Scheme

Working Together – What It Involves:

• You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary. In certain cases, we can consider sponsorship, and this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
•  You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford (or be willing to relocate).
• You must be eligible to work in the UK with occasional travel (1-3 trips per year).