Hormones drive fertility, but we still measure them roughly the way we did decades ago with a blood draw at a clinic, or a urine stick test that gives you an isolated number. A cycle is a moving signal, and we're currently sporadically reading one data point every few days.
Oxense Bio is building a wearable monitor that tracks hormones continuously, in real time, from interstitial fluid, using the same matrix and the same amperometric architecture as a continuous glucose monitor. Our technology is based on a proprietary protein switch that translates a binding event into an electrochemical current we can measure. The sensing platform is target-agnostic, but we are focused on female hormones and fertility care as our first application, because we believe that is where continuous data is most overdue and most useful.
We're an early-stage R&D startup, meaning there are still open scientific challenges and the uncertainty that comes with an early-stage startup. We're hiring our founding technical hires, and you'll own a core piece of the platform, help set how the team works, and take meaningful equity alongside the real risk that comes with a company at this stage. If you want a tightly scoped role at an established firm, this position is probably not for you but if you're looking for a scientific challenge worth pursuing and giving your all to, let's talk!
The role is full-time and in-person in our lab in London.
What you'll own:
A continuous sensor relies on its membranes. You'll design the layers that sit between interstitial fluid and our protein switch. That is a membrane that lets your target analytes through while resisting biofouling and the foreign-body response, and staying stable over the wear life. The membrane stack is yours end to end.
Day to day:
- Design and formulate the sensor's outer membrane stack. Tune the analyte transport and set the dynamic range, design the antifouling and biocompatible layers for an interstitial-fluid environment, and integrate interference-rejection layers where needed.
- Synthesise and formulate the polymers required, such as silicone-hydrogels or PEG and zwitterionic antifouling chemistries and permselective coatings.
- Develop deposition processes (dip, spray, spin, crosslinking) that are reproducible and transfer to manufacturing rather than living only in the lab.
- Characterise the membrane stack for permeability and partition, mechanical behaviour, swelling, biocompatibility, and stability across the intended wear life.
- Integrate the membranes with our sensors without negatively affecting the protein switch, tuning the whole stack for sensitivity, linear range, response time and drift.
- Support in vitro and eventually in vivo testing, and design for sterilisation from the start.
- Operate both as an independent contributor and a collaborative team member in an early-stage startup environment, focusing on milestone-driven research and development.
Required qualifications:
- A PhD in polymer chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, biomaterials, membrane science or a related field, or a Master's plus strong hands-on experience.
- Hands-on polymer synthesis and/or membrane formulation and thin-film deposition.
- A real working understanding of mass transport across membranes, including diffusion, partition, permselectivity and flux-limiting membranes.
- Membrane and thin-film characterisation: permeability, mechanical and thermal (DSC/TGA), microscopy (SEM/AFM), contact angle.
- Experience with antifouling or biocompatible materials.
- Outstanding teamwork and communication skills and the ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team and communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
Desired qualifications:
- Experience with membranes for implantable or wearable sensors: CGM membrane stacks or comparable biosensor coatings.
- Zwitterionic and PEG antifouling chemistry, silicone-hydrogels, polyurethane chemistry.
- Biocompatibility and regulatory awareness (ISO 10993) and knowledge of sterilisation protocols.
- Coating process development and scale-up toward manufacturing.
- Diffusion and transport modelling.
What we offer:
- Meaningful equity. You'll be a founding scientist and one of the first employees in a highly dynamic startup.
- A competitive cash salary set to your experience.
- Workplace pension.
- Work that runs from bench science to a product people will actually wear.
- Full-time, in-person, London.
How to apply:
Send a short note, not a generic cover letter, telling us why this problem grabs you, why you want to work on it and what you'd want to build first, together with your CV.
We aim to read every application. We're building a small team of people who own their work, so feel free to be specific in what you'll bring.