Research Associate

• 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.

Job requirements

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant biological science (Master's desirable), together with hands-on experience gained afterward — whether in academia or industry.

• Strong, hands-on wet-lab molecular biology experience, particularly nucleic acid extractions and PCR.

• Experience designing primers (and ideally probes) for genotyping or other molecular assays.

• Experience running and troubleshooting analysis tools in a Linux/Unix command-line environment.

• Familiarity with bioinformatics tools — comfortable moving between the bench and computational analysis of genotyping and sequencing data.

• Be a team player in a multi-disciplinary environment, building relationships, and gaining trust from others through honesty, compassion, and authenticity.

• Have a curious and courageous mindset, enjoy stepping up to try new things in a changing environment, and taking initiative where there is often ambiguity.

• Want to seek out new opportunities to develop, share learnings with others, and strive to support others in their own development and growth.

• Proficiency with Linux, Python, and shell scripts to build or improve data analysis pipelines.

• Experience analysing gene edits (CRISPR, base editors, etc.) as part of genotyping workflows.

• Wet lab experience with high throughput sample processing, liquid handling, or PCR-based techniques (e.g. qPCR, dPCR).

Job responsibilities

• Contributing to the Plant Genotyping team's mission to provide timely and accurate genotyping of plant samples

• Preparing materials, solutions, and equipment for experiments, and performing routine tasks including sampling, plant maintenance, nucleic acid extractions and PCR

• Running established genotyping pipelines using automation, and running command-line based analysis of genotyping and sequencing data (e.g. amplicon sequencing)

• Designing and validating primers (and probes) for new and existing genotyping assays

• Using and helping to maintain command-line tools and analysis scripts, and contributing to pipeline improvements and automation

• Collecting, organising, and analysing genotyping data, and maintaining accurate records in our Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) and databases for key stakeholders

• Following and contributing to SOPs to ensure consistent, high-quality operations — and optimizing existing approaches where improvements can be made

• Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, assisting with troubleshooting, and contributing to presentations and team meetings

Job 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