Scientist, Plant Biology and Functional Genomics - Plant Biology Institute

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 .org.

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.

EIT is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Scientist in Plant Biology and Functional Genomics to join its pioneering Plant Biology Institute. The successful candidate will identify and prioritise genetic targets and engineering strategies to modify plant cell growth, cell division, morphology, viability, developmental state, and other relevant cellular phenotypes. Working closely with the AI, Molecular Engineering, Plant Transformation teams, the scientist will translate biological hypotheses into testable genetic perturbations and guide the interpretation of resulting phenotypes.

The scientist will be expected to contribute to publications and IP generation and play an active role in translating research into real‑world and commercial solutions aligned with EIT’s mission of humane technological advancement. This role offers a unique opportunity to conduct high‑impact research at the forefront of plant science while collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to drive innovation from lab to global impact.

• Develop and test the hypotheses on mechanisms controlling plant cell growth, division, morphology, and/or cell wall biosynthesis or remodelling.
• Define biological strategies to identify and prioritise genetic targets, such as genes, gene modules and regulatory…