Trait Design Scientist in Abingdon

At Wild Bio we are radically enhancing crops to feed the world sustainably and promote a wilder planet. Wild plants have had half a billion years to evolve natural solutions for thriving in almost every environment on Earth. Our proprietary genetics platform harnesses these wild innovations to enhance the world’s most important crops. Wild‑enhanced crops would simultaneously boost farm yields and promote gigaton‑scale carbon mitigation strategies. If you’re looking for a start‑up that has enormous potential for impact on growers, consumers, and the planet, please read on. Wild Bio is a well‑funded, fast‑paced Oxford University spin‑out working from state‑of‑the‑art labs and offices at Milton Park, Oxfordshire. We are about to enter an exciting phase of growth and are looking for a driven and curious scientist to join us and significantly contribute to delivering the change we believe in.

Our Values

• Curiosity: We fuel our desire to explore the unknown, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and sparking innovation. We ask questions, seek answers, and embrace lifelong learning.
• Community: We believe in the strength and support gained through collaboration and inclusion. As part of a global community, we nurture connections to drive meaningful impact for both people and planet.
• Courage: We face challenges head‑on, take calculated risks, and stand up for our beliefs. Our bravery propels us to take action, even in the face of adversity.

If these values resonate with you, we invite you to join our team of passionate scientists and innovators working at the cutting edge of bioscience.

The Role

We are looking for a motivated and skilled Trait Design Scientist, ideally with a background in photosynthesis research, to drive our R&D initiatives. At Wild, we are building proprietary and “new‑to‑science” datasets that we use to discover new yield traits. You will play a key role in analysing these datasets and driving the future direction of data collection to accelerate this discovery work. The ideal candidate is a team player who is eager to learn and challenge established approaches to improve our systems.

• Lead the design and management of experiments to collect bespoke physiology and genetic datasets across diverse species.
• Establish robust phenotyping methods and train junior team members to ensure high‑quality data collection at scale.
• Utilise machine learning and bioinformatics tools to mine proprietary datasets, identifying causal genetics behind key photosynthesis traits.
• Critically evaluate machine learning / AI outputs by integrating photosynthesis expertise with literature reviews and data from our proprietary evolutionary and cell‑based platform.
• Lead trait design sessions, collaborating with other photosynthesis experts, construct engineers, and bioinformaticians to inform phase promotion decisions.
• Iteratively improve data collection protocols based on the latest photosynthesis research.

Knowledge and Skills

• A PhD in a relevant discipline, e.g. Plant Science, Photosynthesis, Plant Physiology, Bioinformatics.
• Proven experience delivering complex scientific research projects and driving their strategic direction.
• Deep theoretical and practical understanding of photosynthesis; you are comfortable interpreting complex physiological data to generate biological hypotheses.
• Experience using gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence systems (e.g. LICORs, Walz), and/or other photosynthetic mechanistic studies that are used to dissect photosynthetic performance.
• A strong understanding of the genetic mechanisms that govern plant phenotypes and the factors that influence gene expression.
• Familiarity with Linux, bioinformatics tools, and the application of machine learning to genomic/phenotype data is highly desirable.
• A growth‑oriented mindset focused on continuous improvement – evaluating new tools and sparking innovation within the team.
• Ability to distil complex data into clear hypothesis and lead collaborative decision‑making sessions.
• Work with an incredibly rich and growing photosynthetic dataset.
• Rapid translation of biological hypotheses into elite crop varieties for testing.

Benefits

• Group life cover x 4 of base salary.
• Critical illness cover x 4 of base salary.
• Pension scheme with a 5% Company contribution.
• Private medical insurance including dental and optical.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• Regular company socials.
• Complimentary refreshments throughout the week.
• Team meals, including breakfast on a Monday and lunch each Friday, creating opportunities for informal networking and team bonding.
• Flexible working opportunities.

Location

We’re headquartered in Milton Park, a business and technology park in Oxfordshire. This is an on‑site role, though we offer flexibility and hybrid working when possible. The successful candidate will be required to provide proof of eligibility to work in the UK.