Group Leader, Cell Based Production (Growth and Morphology) - PBI

Join us at EIT. At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we are on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real-world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators, and innovators to tackle humanity's greatest challenges in four transformative areas:

• Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
• Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
• Climate Change & Managing CO₂
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

Welcome to the Plant Biology Institute. The Plant Biology Institute, headed by Professor Steve Kelly, is a key part of the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) Oxford. The institute aims to develop impactful and commercially sustainable solutions for improving global food production and planetary health through pioneering plant science research. The Plant Biology Institute will unite world-class researchers who are focused on expanding the frontiers of plant science. Our research is focused on enhancing our ability to feed the planet while simultaneously improving the climate and ecosystem outcomes of food production.

By embedding cutting-edge plant science research within an organisation that is focused on solving global challenges at scale, we aim to accelerate the timeline from discovery to global impact. Areas of exploration include:

• Improved plant productivity, both indoors and outside
• Reduced reliance on inputs including water, fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides
• Novel decarbonised plant-based production platforms for food and medicines
• Advanced technologies that speed up discovery and deployment in plants

Researchers will have access to state-of-the-art laboratory and plant growth facilities and have opportunities to collaborate with experts at the forefront of research on AI, automation, and generative biology across the EIT ecosystem. They will also work with global leaders in market development, commercialisation, and impact creation. The Plant Biology Institute has long-term substantial funding to support the unique scale and ambition of its vision.

Your Role. At EIT, we are seeking a visionary and accomplished Group Leader in Plant Cell-Based Production to contribute to a transformative research programme at the forefront of plant biotechnology. This leadership role is integral to shaping a newly established and rapidly scaling Plant Biology Institute that aspires to become a global leader in delivering scientific breakthroughs with real-world impact. The successful candidate will spearhead innovative focused research programs in either plant specialized metabolism discovery and engineering, plant cell culture optimisation or the genetic regulation of the identity, metabolism and growth of plant cells in culture with the overall programme goal of advancing plant cell culture for novel decarbonised plant-based production of food and/or medicines, guiding projects from fundamental discovery through to technological development and scalable application. They will build and manage a high-performing team, ensure research excellence and ensure research can be translated into impact and commercial opportunities aligned with EIT's mission of humane and sustainable innovation.

This is a rare opportunity to define the scientific direction of a next-generation research hub addressing some of the planet's most pressing challenges.

Your Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the development and expansion of a newly established plant science institute which will scale rapidly over the next 5 years to become a global leader in plant science research aimed at tackling humanity's greatest challenges.
• Establish and lead a research group focused on plant specialized metabolism discovery and engineering, plant cell culture optimisation, and/or the genetic regulation of the identity, metabolism and growth of plant cells in culture designing and executing projects that advance both foundational understanding and applied innovation.
• Work with internal teams to define the path to impact for the research program.
• Design and execute research programmes and ensure that all research programmes are value and purpose driven.
• Recruit and lead a top talent team of research scientists including post-docs and PhD candidates. Hire based on competency, experience and values. Manage based on clear performance targets and with accountability. Maintain a positive, engaged culture, in line with EIT Oxford values.

• Contribute to planning and communicating the scientific direction of the advanced genome technology programme which is aimed at changing the art of the possible in plant cell-based production.
• Direct the activities of the research group by supervising some projects personally and overseeing projects delegated to group members.
• Provide the intellectual energy and independent thinking necessary to lead a programme of cutting-edge research and to shape the overall aims and success of the group.
• Drive rigorous experimental design, execution, and data interpretation, ensuring robust and reproducible scientific outcomes.
• Manage the research program through stage-gated milestones, with active, no-go decisions based on validated research data.
• Design research programmes to enable delivery requirements to be considered through development and implementation.
• Identify pre-emptive decisions to enable future scale-up.
• Manage project resources – including personnel, equipment and budgets – in coordination with the senior leadership team.
• Ensure research is conducted ethically and in compliance with EIT policy, regulatory guidance and best scientific practice.
• Generate, maintain and manage collaborations with key teams across EIT Oxford and in the wider scientific and commercial ecosystem to accelerate the path to scientific discovery and impact.
• Maintain key stakeholder relationships.
• Work, where appropriate, with the commercial team within EIT to translate the results of research into commercial opportunities consistent with EIT's humane endeavours.
• Recognise and act on opportunities for the creation and protection of intellectual property.

• Design and execute research projects to identify the genetic and molecular mechanisms that constrain the growth and scalability of plant cells in liquid culture.
• Develop high-throughput genetic screens to identify key genes that confer rapid growth and other desirable cell properties for industrial scaling.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary EIT Oxford teams to link fundamental cell-developmental genetics research to machine-learning models designed to augment the search for relevant target genes.

Requirements:

• Deep understanding of plant cell-developmental genetics.
• Expertise in the genetic regulation of cell identity, division, growth and metabolism.
• Experience of high-throughput genetic screens.
• Experience of cell-level phenotyping, flow-sorting and ‘omics.
• Proficiency in analysing and manipulating plant gene regulatory networks to control cell developmental processes.
• Leader of research groups within academia or industry.
• Recognised thought leader in their field.
• Proven ability to manage scientific output for a team of PhDs/Post-doctoral researchers.
• Demonstration of commercial awareness and versatility of research that could serve a wide range of different applications (e.g. oils, pharmaceuticals, foods).
• Development of partnerships with engineering, technical partners and licensees/channel partners.
• Project management, communication and resource allocation experience.
• Ability to build both internal and external relationships.
• Working collaboratively with others outside of their discipline.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary + travel allowance + bonus
• Enhanced holiday + options to buy additional days
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box
• Electric Car Scheme
• Childcare benefit

What we offer:

• Newly constructed, state-of-the-art laboratories and growth facilities, core scientific and operational support, and substantial core funding to support a research group.
• A collaborative research environment with highly skilled team working at the cutting edge of plant science to create commercially sustainable solutions that tackle humanity's biggest challenges, including enabling sustainable agriculture and improving the climate and ecosystem outcomes of food production.
• Opportunities for professional development including publications, conferences, IP portfolio creation, spin-out generation, and leadership development.