Group Leader, Cell Based Production (Plant Specialised Metabolism) - PBI in Oxford

Join us at EIT: At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we’re 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

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: At EIT we are seeking a visionary and accomplished Group Leader in Plant and 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 programmes in either plant specialised 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. You 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:

• Leadership: 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 specialised 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 programme. To design and execute research programmes and to 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.
• Research excellence: 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. You will be expected to 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. Managing research programme through stage gated milestones, with active, no/no‑go decisions based on validated research data. Designing research programmes to enable delivery requirements to be considered through development and implementation. Identifying 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.
• Plant specialised metabolism discovery and engineering: Design and lead research projects focused on understanding and engineering plant specialised metabolism in plant cell cultures for the production of high‑value plant natural products with applications in health and medicine. Develop and apply novel engineering and synthetic biology strategies to optimise biosynthetic pathway flux and product accumulation. Collaborate with EIT Oxford computational modelling and robotics teams to establish model‑driven engineering and rapid iteration of engineering cycles.

Requirements: Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• Strong background in plant specialised metabolism
• Experience in specialised metabolite analysis including mass spectrometry
• Experience in plant metabolic engineering and synthetic biology to modify or enhance metabolic outputs
• Proficiency in applying advanced plant biotechnology approaches to interrogate and reprogram metabolic networks
• Expertise in utilising plant cell culture systems as platforms for metabolic studies and compound production
• Experience with the use of laboratory automation and robotics
• Experience with cross‑disciplinary collaboration, especially with computational modellers
• 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: Our 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 publication, conferences, IP portfolio creation, spin‑out generation, and leadership development.