Postdoctoral Researcher - Microbial Strain Engineer in Nitrogen Fixation- PBI in Oxford

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, Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, Climate Change & Managing CO₂.

This is ambitious work - work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you'll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society. Explore more at www.eit.org.

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: The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Postdoctoral Researcher in Microbial Strain Engineer to join its pioneering Plant Biology Institute to contribute to the ‘Biological Nitrogen Fixation' program. This initiative seeks to engineer biological nitrogen fixation into widely grown crop plants to improve yields and reduce global reliance on synthetic fertilisers. The ultimate goal of this work will be to deliver transformative environmental, economic, and public health benefits by helping to support the transition to scalable and regenerative agricultural systems.

Your Responsibilities: The Postdoctoral Researcher will genetically engineer diazotrophic microbial organisms to generate novel modified strains. These novel strains will be generated using established molecular biology and genetic engineering/genome editing methodologies to enable functional investigation of genes involved in nitrogen fixation. The successful candidate will also perform both nitrogen fixation assays (e.g., using the acetylene reduction method) as well as high-throughput microbial growth assays under diazotrophic conditions to assess the nitrogen-fixation capacities of different strains. Insights generated from this work will directly inform and accelerate our synthetic biology strategy to enable the introduction of novel metabolic capabilities into high-performance crop varieties.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in biological nitrogen fixation and microbial strain engineering of nitrogen-fixing model organisms. This role offers a unique opportunity to conduct high-impact research at the forefront of plant science while collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to drive innovation from lab to global impact. The postdoctoral researcher will be expected to contribute to publications and IP generation and play an active role in translating research into real-world and commercial solutions aligned with EIT's mission of humane technological advancement. This is an exciting opportunity to develop as a scientific leader in a dynamic, well-supported, and purpose-driven environment.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to incorporate cutting edge research techniques into experiments
• Present scientific work at seminars within the lab and at external meetings, including contributing to laboratory-wide discussions on developments within the field
• Assist in mentoring graduate students and other members of the research group where appropriate
• Collaborate with experts at the forefront of research on AI, automation, and generative biology across the EIT ecosystem
• Draft scientific papers and contribute to preparation of publications
• Assist in the translation of scientific results into commercial opportunities consistent with the EIT humane endeavours
• Recognise and act on opportunities for the creation of IP and cooperate in patent protection and in impact delivery

Requirements: Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• Completed PhD in a relevant discipline
• Strong research background and competency in relevant research skills or areas for the post. Examples include:
• Demonstrated experience in microbial strain engineering in model diazotrophic microorganisms, including targeted gene knockouts, gene insertions/replacements, plasmid-based gene expression, and CRISPR-based genome editing
• Demonstrated experience in microbial experimentation and handling under microaerobic or anaerobic conditions
• Demonstrated experience in high-throughput microbial growth assays under ambient and diazotrophic conditions
• Demonstrated experience in nitrogen fixation assays including acetylene reduction and 15N₂ incorporation assays, as well as knowledge or hands-on experience of associated analytical techniques (e.g., gas chromatography, isotope ratio mass spectrometry)
• Strong proficiency in molecular biology, including PCR, qt-PCR, primer and construct design, molecular cloning, nucleic acid/metabolite/protein extraction, protein purification, gel electrophoresis (Agarose, SDS-PAGE, Native PAGE, Blue Native PAGE), immunodetection (e.g., Western Blot, co-immunoprecipitation), colorimetric/fluorometric plate-based assays including in vitro enzyme assays
• A strong understanding of high-throughput and automated/semi-automated workflows in laboratory techniques relevant to the post
• Excellent skills in experimental design, data analysis, statistical evaluation, and visualisation
• To understand (or have a desire to understand) the path to impact for the research area in question and where appropriate to consider user feedback and market research in designing research experiments
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research to the highest standard, and to publish results in peer-reviewed journals
• Ability to build both internal and external relationships. Working collaboratively with others outside of their discipline
• Clear and demonstrable problem-solving skills
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills
• Excellent written communication and report writing skills

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Demonstrated expertise in protein structural modelling
• Demonstrated expertise in enzyme structure-guided rational protein engineering or directed evolution

Benefits: Our Benefits:

• Salary dependent on experience + 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
• 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 publication, conferences, spin-out generation, and leadership development

Required Application Materials:

• Two letters of reference