Help us make agriculture more sustainable

‍What you will do

• Lead and execute the delivery of mini-chromosomes for validation of chromosome components (e.g., centromeres, telomeres, and origin of replication elements) in moss, tomato, and potato systems.
• Perform isolation and molecular characterization (e.g., Nanopore sequencing, FISH, and karyotyping) of genetically engineered plant cells.
• Develop and optimize delivery strategies, including protoplast transformation of large DNA molecules and microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (MMCT).
• Mentor junior team members while working in close collaboration with the broader team responsible for this project at Phytoform and consortium partners.
• Maintain accurate, high-quality experimental records and contribute to project reporting for grant milestones.
• Present and discuss your strategies and advancements internally to your manager and team and externally at consortium meetings.

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Essential Requirements

• PhD in Plant Synthetic Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, or a closely related field.
• Strong hands-on expertise with plant protoplast transformation and protoplast fusion.
• Practical experience in plant cytogenetics and microscopy (e.g., karyotyping, fluorescent tag engineering and detection, FISH).
• Expertise in molecular cloning, DNA assembly techniques, and genomic analyses.
• Knowledge of chromatin biology, epigenetics, or DNA replication mechanisms.
• Proven ability to independently plan, execute, and troubleshoot complex biological experiments.
• Strong organizational, communication, and team-working skills.
  
  

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Beneficial Experience

• Prior experience working with Physcomitrium patens.
• Experience with synthetic chromosome assembly and manipulation or large DNA construct engineering.
• Experience working in an industry-academic partnership or multi-institutional projects.
• Familiarity with high-throughput plant regeneration or microfluidics-based selection platforms.

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Why Join Us?

• Contribute to pioneering, high-impact research with potential global agricultural applications.
• Work within a fast-paced, innovation-driven biotech company with close academic collaboration.
• Access cutting-edge facilities, synthetic biology platforms, and take part in a great multicultural and multidisciplinary team.
• Competitive salary and benefits in a dynamic and supportive environment:
  
  • Share of the value you create through Employee Stock Option Plan;
  • Private Medical Insurance;
  • Great working environment in a multidisciplinary team;
  • A flexible working arrangement: early or late working with core hours of 10am-4pm;
  • Possibility of working from home when compiling and analysing data;
  • Access to a gym & tennis courts;
  • Access to the cycle to work scheme.

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Application Instructions

If you’re looking for a new challenge and enjoy working as part of a small, multi disciplinary team where new ideas are welcomed, then we would love to meet you!

To apply, please submit a cover letter addressing your fit for the role and motivation to join the project (max 1 page) followed by your CV highlighting relevant experience in a single PDF file to apply@phytoformlabs.com stating “Senior Scientist – Plant Chromosome Engineering Application” in the title. 

Alternatively, apply through the Phytoform careers page https://www.phytoformlabs.com/careers. 

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Location: Harpenden, London, United Kingdom
Contract: Full-time, 3 years to 31st May 2028 (renewable based on project milestones and funding)
Visa status: Visa sponsorship can be considered for this position
Start Date: As soon as possible
Application Deadline: June 2025
Interviews: Rolling basis 

Salary: compensation will be based on experience and qualifications + Stock Options

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This job is part of an Advanced Research + Innovation Agency - funded project, subject to contract negotiations.

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In this role, you will:

• Assist in various areas of laboratory maintenance, cleaning and tidying of lab areas, calibration of equipment, waste management and ensure a smooth running of the laboratory
• Prepare various types of bacterial and plant growth media for laboratory use across various projects
• Keep labs stocked with laboratory consumables, including sterilised plastic-ware and glass-ware
• Give technical support to develop horticultural and field crops, including genetically modified and genome edited plant material
• Maintain sterile tissue culture of a number of crop species (e.g. tomato, potato) 
• Assist in DNA and RNA extraction from plant material as well as bacterial DNA plasmid preps and perform sample quality control
• Work together with team members to ensure adherence to all local H&S rules & regulations

Requirements

• BSc Plant Sciences, Biology or a related subject. Anyone with relevant experience in a biology lab is welcome to apply. 

• Experience in sterile working practices, preparing and maintaining media stocks.

• Experience of working with plants in a sterile laboratory environment.

• Practical experience of laboratory technician/biological scientific research work.

• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.

• Demonstrable numeracy skills.

• Exceptional attention to detail, precision and accuracy, documentation skills and accurate record keeping.

• Great organisational and time management skills with the ability to prioritise, organise and coordinate a range of tasks simultaneously.
• The ability to follow written protocols and instructions.

• A flexible and proactive approach to work, working under your own initiative, working out of hours if required.

• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Office Word and Excel.

• A team player with an enthusiasm for working in a busy and evolving environment.

You get extra points if you:

• Have experience of molecular techniques including cloning and plasmid preparation

• Can demonstrate a strong record of laboratory experience and using a Laboratory Management System. If you bring experience of self-directed, multidisciplinary laboratory work that would be great.
• Can demonstrate a record of using project management software.

• Have practical experience with plant tissue culture, more so if also with glasshouse/CE plant growth. 

• Have experience growing plants in an industry R&D operation
• Share our passion for sustainability

What we offer

• Competitive salary
• Share of value you create through Employee Stock Option Plan
• Private medical insurance
• Great working environment in a multidisciplinary team

• A flexible working arrangement: early or late working with core hours of 10am-4pm

• Access to a gym & tennis courts

• Cycle to work scheme

Location: Harpenden, London, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent, on-site

Visa status: This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship

Start Date: As soon as possible

Application Deadline: June 2025

Interviews: Rolling basis

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What You'll do

• Develop and improve CRISPR-mediated HDR methods to diversify edits in plants
• Perform a range of molecular tasks such as DNA and RNA isolation from plant material
• Prepare Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) sequencing libraries (Illumina, Oxford Nanopore)
• Design and execute bioinformatics pipelines for NGS data analysis and train other scientists in NGS workflows
• Work with RNPs and plasmids in transient protoplast transfection as part of the team 
• Keep a well-organised record of all data and results electronically.
• Present and discuss your strategies and advancements to your manager and team.

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Essential Requirements

• PhD or MSc + 4 years work experience in a relevant field such as Genomics, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry or similar
• Practical experience in genome editing technology and detection
• Expertise in molecular biology, including working with NGS libraries
• Experienced with loading and operating sequencing platforms, including Illumina (e.g., MiSeq, NextSeq, NovaSeq) and Oxford Nanopore (e.g., MinION, GridION)
• Competence in running and writing bioinformatic pipelines and analysing NGS or omics data (e.g. programming in Python, R or similar)
• Advanced problem solving within molecular biology with demonstrated success
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Track record of application driven research
• Goal focused and with good time management and excellent record keeping
• Ability to work in a results-driven, deadline-oriented team
• Share our passion for sustainability and vision of a future where genetic engineering

plays a key role in improving the resilience of global food systems

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Beneficial Requirements

• Experience with CRISPR genome editing in plant species
• Experience working with plant protoplasts
• Practical experience with high throughput methods, such as FACS and high throughput imaging

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What We Offer

• Competitive salary
• Share of the value you create through the Employee Stock Option Plan
• Private medical insurance
• Great working environment in a multidisciplinary team
• A flexible working arrangement: early or late working with core hours of 10am-4pm
• Possibility of working from home when compiling and analysing data
• Access to a gym & tennis courts
• Cycle to work scheme

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If you’re looking for a new challenge and enjoy working as part of a small, multidisciplinary team where new ideas are welcomed, then we would love to meet you!

‍

Application instructions

To apply, please submit a CV highlighting relevant experience and a cover letter (max 1 page) addressing your fit for the role and motivation to join the project in a single PDF file to apply@phytoformlabs.com stating “Senior Scientist – Plant CRISPR R&D” in the title. 

Alternatively, apply through the Phytoform careers page https://www.phytoformlabs.com/careers. 

Location: Harpenden, London, United Kingdom
Contract: Full-time, 3 years to 31st May 2028 (renewable based on project milestones and funding)
Visa status: Visa sponsorship can be considered for this position
Start Date: As soon as possible
Application Deadline: June 2025
Interviews: Rolling basis 

Salary: compensation will be based on experience and qualifications + Stock Options

This job is part of an Advanced Research + Innovation Agency - funded project, subject to contract negotiations.

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