Graduate Research Scientist

• Salary: £24,000 to £30,000 per year

• Hours: Full time

• Closing date: 06 November 2025

• Location: Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline

The Company:

CelluComp is a dynamic material science company based in Scotland that extracts Nano cellulose fibers from the waste streams of root vegetables, such as carrots and sugar beets. The company was founded by Dr. David Hepworth and Dr. Eric Whale in 2004. The founders believe there is a more sustainable and better-performing solution in material science by harnessing all the benefits given to us by nature. With that in mind, they started CelluComp to create Material Change for Good.

By use of a proprietary process CelluComp makes and sells an additive under the name Curran®, which has exceptional properties for multiple industries but particularly for use as an additive into pulp and paper manufacturing and barrier coatings that can be put on paper goods.

The Position: 

CelluComp requires enthusiastic candidates to join our small and friendly team as a Graduate Research Scientist. The successful candidate would be required to assist in the development, scale up and production of Curran® materials and formulation of Curran® for industrial applications.  The posts will initially be for a 12-month contract with a prospect of permanent contracts on completion.

Key Responsibilities of the roles will include:

• Aiding optimisation of processes.

• Development and upscaling of processes.

• Production of material for customer trials

• Conducting experiments to help make necessary modifications to products.

• Help with the design and verification of quality control measures.

• Testing Curran®, Reef & Nest (products) in industrial formulations including coatings, food, and paper and packaging.

• General Research & Development experiments.

• Liaising with different departments

• Carrying out experiments and trials for customer projects.

• Working and experimenting with enzymes

The Candidate:

The successful candidate will have the ability to work pro-actively as an individual and within a small team. You will have strong communication skills and an ability to manage your own workload and prioritise tasks.  Prospective candidates must hold an appropriate degree in Sciences, preferably in material science, biochemistry, chemistry or any polymer science related degree.  We do a lot of research in multiple industries so experience or degrees in any of the following will also be considered as advantageous:

• Paints, Coatings & Inks

• Paper & Pulping

• Bio-composites

• Bio-plastics

• Food

• Anti-microbial agents

• Valorisation of production waste streams

• Process optimisation

• Nano Cellulose

• Enzymatic processes

Experience/ Characteristics preferred for the role:

• It is imperative that the successful candidate is able to write reports based on experiments they have carried out and be able to present the results in an appropriate manner.

• A good knowledge in using lab equipment such as microscopes and viscometers would be advantageous, but training will be provided.

• Work experience is not essential as full training and guidance will be provided

• Skills in using Word, Excel and Outlook to a basic level are necessary

Cellucomp is a small but growing business, as the business expands our hope is reward the loyalty of employees with excellent opportunities within the company. Salary will be in the range £24-32K and generous benefits such as a good holiday allowance, insurances and company pension.