Quality Control Technician - Intern

4w1 month ago

SPT Labtech

Cambridge, GB · Internship · £20,000 – £24,000

About this role

We're looking for a talented chemistry undergraduate or graduate to join our consumables team for a 3-month summer internship as a Quality Control Technician. This hands-on, lab-based role sits at the intersection of polymer science, surface chemistry, and precision measurement within a fast-growing life-science company.

You will be trusted with real investigative work from day one: characterising hydrophobicity, running volumetric and liquid-recovery studies, and helping build the technical case for the next generation of low-retention consumables. A significant focus is the surface behaviour of our consumables — parameters like contact angle, wetting behaviour, surface energy, and bore-surface finish all affect dispensing accuracy.

Based in Cambridge, UK, SPT Labtech makes products that transform the way scientists work. For more than two decades, our expert scientists, engineers, and business innovators have delivered world-leading solutions for liquid handling, sample preparation, and sample management that help accelerate human health research.

This internship offers the chance to see how laboratory chemistry translates into products that make a real difference in human health research. You will work collaboratively with experienced team members and contribute directly to quality validation and product development.

Requirements

Studying towards or recently completed a BSc or MChem in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related discipline
Hands-on laboratory experience from university practicals, a placement, or independent research
Demonstrated attention to detail and an understanding of measurement accuracy and repeatability
Confident using Microsoft Word and Excel for recording and analysing data
Strong communication skills and a collaborative, proactive attitude
Familiarity with volumetric or gravimetric analysis, or precision liquid-handling techniques (desirable)
Understanding of polymer chemistry and liquid–surface interactions such as wetting, surface tension, and bore-geometry effects on dispensing (desirable)
Exposure to quality control or industrial lab environments (desirable)

Responsibilities

Characterise hydrophobicity of consumable surfaces using contact angle measurements and wetting analysis
Conduct volumetric and liquid-recovery studies across tip variants to evaluate performance impact of surface changes
Investigate how surface modification techniques engineer hydrophobicity and low-retention characteristics of polypropylene surfaces
Perform controlled volumetric testing and gravimetric analysis to assess dispensing accuracy
Support documentation of new test methods and contribute to the technical case for adopting surface modifications
Record and analyse data using Microsoft Excel, ensuring measurement accuracy and repeatability

Benefits

Hands-on experience inside a fast-growing life-science company where quality is central to everything we make
Real investigative work from day one, contributing directly to next-generation consumable development
Collaboration with expert scientists, engineers, and business innovators
Opportunity to see how laboratory chemistry translates into products that accelerate human health research