Biosensor Development Engineer

Biosensor Development Engineer

ADI - Analog Devices

Cambridge, United Kingdom

The Digital Healthcare (DHC) business unit is seeking a highly motivated experienced Biosensor Development Engineer to lead the development, optimisation, and characterisation of advanced material‑based sensing components for next‑generation diagnostic and analytical platforms. This role will play a central part in establishing new materials processing capabilities, building laboratory infrastructure, and developing scalable optically active sensor materials to support emerging product architectures.

This is an ideal role for a technically strong, strategically minded engineer or scientist who can combine hands‑on experimental leadership with forward‑thinking development strategy. The successful candidate will shape laboratory capabilities, drive materials and process innovation, and act as a key contributor in advancing new sensor technologies.

Roles & Responsibilities

External Collaboration & Technology Exploration

• Engage with academic partners, research groups, and industrial vendors to explore new material formulations, fluorophore chemistries, and matrix architectures.
• Liaise with external specialists and suppliers involved in optical material development, including potential manufacturing partners for scale‑up.
• Contribute to mapping the landscape of optically active material suppliers, fabrication approaches, and potential production pathways.

Establishing & Scaling Laboratory Capabilities

• Identify, specify, and source equipment needed for in‑house processing and characterisation of optical sensing materials.
• Commission new tools and establish stable workflows for materials development, ensuring techniques are compatible with future high‑volume manufacturing.
• Build out a fit‑for‑purpose development environment by leveraging local facilities and integrating new capabilities as required.
• Establish best practices for safety, documentation, materials handling, and experimental execution within a newly evolving laboratory.

Sensor Material & Process Development

• Lead the design, formulation, and processing of functional sensing films and optically active materials, including fluorophore‑based matrices and sensing structures.
• Develop, optimise, and validate coating, curing, and surface‑modification workflows with an emphasis on reproducibility and scalability.
• Perform characterisation using optical, physical, and chemical techniques, and relate material properties to system‑level performance.
• Generate rapid experimental cycles to support fast iteration, screening, and improvement of sensing materials.
• Translate findings into actionable process recommendations, material design choices, and long‑term development strategy.

Strategic & Cross‑Functional Contribution

• Contribute to sensor material technology roadmaps and long‑term capability planning.
• Influence design–process interactions by providing robust assessments of material scalability, manufacturability, and system compatibility.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary teams to integrate sensing materials into complete sensing systems and product pipelines.
• Act as an internal source of rapidly developed prototype materials to accelerate system testing, validation, and IP generation.

Qualifications

Education

• PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, or a related field with 4+ years industrial experience; OR
• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in a relevant discipline with 8+ years of industrial experience in materials development, thin‑film processing, optical materials, or related areas.

Experience (strongly advantageous but not all required)

• Development and optimisation of thin films, polymeric coatings, functional optical materials, or surface‑engineered structures.
• Establishing or scaling laboratory processes, including selection and commissioning of processing and metrology tools.
• Hands‑on experience with film deposition (spin, dip, spray, or equivalent) and optically active materials (fluorescence/absorbance).
• Practical engineering intuition and experience designing and troubleshooting experimental setups.
• Familiarity with optical characterisation methods (microscopy, spectroscopy, material uniformity analysis).
• Experience working with fluorophores, matrix formulations, or optically responsive polymer systems is beneficial.

Soft Skills

• Strong initiative and ability to propose solutions proactively.
• Excellent communication skills for multidisciplinary collaboration.
• Highly organised, with strong documentation and planning habits.
• Comfortable working in a dynamic environment and developing new processes from the ground up.
• Curious, pragmatic, and motivated by rigorous experimentation and new sensing technology development.