Senior Research Associate, Transformation Facility in Oxford

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.

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 highly motivated and skilled Senior Research Associate in the Crop Transformation Pipeline team at the pioneering Plant Biology Institute. The Senior Researcher will lead execution and optimisation of elite germplasm transformation workflows for Corn. This role focuses on throughput, reproducibility, and industrial‑grade delivery of high‑quality transgenic and gene edited events. The candidate will serve as a technical anchor for corn transformation pipeline performance, LIMS integration, and continuous process improvement.

Your Responsibilities: You will play a pivotal role in advancing the crop transformation pipeline. Successful candidates will focus on high throughput transformation in elite corn lines. The key responsibilities include:

• Execute and optimise Agrobacterium/Particle bombardment‑mediated transformation systems in elite crop lines.
• Drive transformation efficiency (TE) improvements and regeneration consistency.
• Troubleshoot genotype‑specific performance issues using conventional and breakthrough technologies in transformation and regeneration.
• Develop detailed experimental plans, milestone tracking, and resource forecasting for day‑to‑day activities in the pipeline.
• Experimental design, statistical analysis, monitoring and writing clear and consolidated reports in ELN or confluence.
• Train and mentor Research Associates.
• Standardise SOPs and ensure rigorous documentation.
• Interface with automation/AI team to improve throughput.
• Collaborate with the Pipeline and transformation enabling team to integrate automation into biological workflows.
• Define performance metrics and continuously optimise system throughput.
• Contribute to long‑term digital transformation strategy.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to incorporate cutting edge applied technologies to develop commercial products.
• Present scientific work at seminars within EIT and at external meetings or conferences, 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.
• Assist in the translation of scientific results into publications, commercial opportunities consistent with the EIT humane endeavors.
• Recognise the acting on opportunities for the creation of IP and cooperating in patent protection and in impact delivery.

The successful candidate will have a strong background in crop transformation enabling technologies in an industrial or academic setting. This role offers a unique opportunity to establish an applied technologies team while collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to drive innovation from lab to global impact. The candidate will be expected to play an active role in translating research into commercially applicable tools to advance trait programs and delivering commercial solutions aligned with EIT’s mission of humane technological advancement. This is an exciting opportunity to develop as a leader in a dynamic, well‑supported, and purpose‑driven environment.

Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• PhD in Plant Biotechnology, or MSc with substantial hands‑on expertise in elite crop transformation.
• Demonstrated success in transforming commercial or elite germplasm.
• Strong tissue culture and regeneration expertise.
• Experience with LIMS and structured experimental planning.
• Proven troubleshooting and optimisation skills in complex biological systems.
• 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:

• Experience in high throughput elite corn transformation.
• Experience with GLP & Quality management systems.
• Experience integrating multiple technologies to enhance transformation efficiency.

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.