Nuclera is a Cambridge-founded biotech building a desktop “protein printer” platform for drug discovery teams that need functional proteins fast. Nuclera’s current flagship product is the eProtein Discovery™ benchtop system, combining cell-free protein synthesis with digital microfluidics and cloud software to speed up expression and purification optimisation. Company materials describe “protein printing” in 24 hours in earlier product messaging, while newer materials often frame outcomes as “within days” or “within 48 hours” depending on workflow. Nuclera operates across Cambridge (UK HQ) and a US site near Boston, and the company has raised multiple funding rounds including a Series C (announced 2024).
Locations and presence
Nuclera lists a global headquarters in Impington, Cambridge (One Vision Park) and a US facility in Billerica, Massachusetts. Hiring and operations are split across R&D, manufacturing, and applications work in both regions.
Palpable Score
62.0
/ 100
Nuclera has a handful of early-career-adjacent roles, mainly technician and research-assistant pathways, and the job descriptions include some “work under supervision” signals that matter for first movers in biotech. The main constraint is consistency: pay ranges are rarely published, and public interview feedback includes both well-run processes and cases of weak follow-up.
Pillar 1: Early-career access
Score
11.6
/ 20
The company posts technician roles (for example Manufacturing Technician in Cambridge and Reagent Production & Test Technician) that sit closer to entry level than the Scientist roles.
Nuclera hires Research Associate level roles in protein science with lower experience bars than scientist posts, including requirements like 1 year of industry experience for MSc holders.
The company’s lab scientist roles often require MSc or PhD plus industry time (for example 2–4 years for MSc graduates), which narrows true first-job access.
Pillar 2: Hiring fairness and transparency
Score
12.7
/ 20
The company has public interview feedback describing a well-organised process that ran end-to-end in around two weeks, which is a strong signal of basic candidate care.
Nuclera also has public interview feedback describing a candidate not being told they had been rejected even after chasing by email, which is a clear transparency gap.
The company uses technically heavy interview formats for some roles (presentations, multiple interviewers, and technical probing), which can be fair when well-scoped but raises the bar for early-career candidates if expectations are not tightly framed.
Pillar 3: Learning and support
Score
13.1
/ 20
The company’s scientific job descriptions repeatedly state “work under supervision” and “with guidance from senior members” for core experimental work (DNA prep, protein purification, PCR and expression).
Nuclera lists “investment in professional development and learning” as part of its benefits package, which is a concrete commitment even if not role-specific.
The company rarely spells out junior-friendly support mechanics like a 30-60-90 plan, mentoring, pairing, or scheduled feedback in the job ads, so learning support is visible but not fully operationalised.
Pillar 4: Pay fairness and stability
Score
12.4
/ 20
The company offers a stable-looking benefits stack for permanent staff, including a 5% bonus scheme, share option plan, private medical cover, enhanced pension, and enhanced parental leave.
Nuclera does not consistently publish salary ranges on role adverts, so early-career applicants often have to rely on third-party estimates rather than employer-set transparency.
The company’s technician and research roles appear to be standard paid employment rather than unpaid “experience” arrangements, but the lack of posted ranges caps confidence on pay fairness across teams.
Pillar 5: Early-career outcomes
Score
12.2
/ 20
The company has a small but usable set of employee reviews describing benefits and work-life balance, alongside an overall rating that points to a mixed, not glowing, employee experience.
Nuclera’s LinkedIn and job-posting footprint shows repeat hiring for technician and research roles across Cambridge and the US site, which supports the “repeat junior-adjacent hiring” outcome signal.
The company does not publish early-career outcomes like promotion timelines, internal mobility stories by level, or retention metrics, and public review data suggests “career opportunities” is an area with room to improve.
