Research Assistant - Generative Biology Institute Generative Biology Institute England

Generative Biology Institute
The Generative Biology Institute (GBI) is tackling the key challenges in making biology engineerable, and thereby unlocking the unrivalled power of biology for the benefit of humanity. GBI is part of the Ellison Institute of Technology, Oxford (EIT) and is led by founding Director Jason Chin.

The vision of the Generative Biology Institute is to lay the foundations for engineering biology, and unlock its potential for good. To achieve this, we must overcome two key challenges. First, we need the ability to write in the natural language of biology, enabling the rapid and scalable synthesis of entire genomes with precision. Second, we must understand what to write - determining which DNA sequences will generate biological systems that perform the desired functions.

Addressing these challenges will allow us to harness the full power of biology to create transformative solutions across health, agriculture, clean energy and more.

GBI will have sustained and substantial funding to support the unique scale and ambition of its ground-breaking vision for engineering biology. GBI researchers will also be supported by cutting-edge technology hubs including mass spectrometry, flow cytometry, sequencing, automation, imaging, and bioprocessing. GBI will also have access to substantial compute resources that can be leveraged to further accelerate progress, including scientific compute, bioinformatics, and machine learning.

The environment at GBI will allow researchers to undertake ambitious, long-term, collaborative research, and we will actively support the translation of research to commercial applications, where appropriate.

The Generative Biology Institute will commence operations in a newly renovated bespoke space in the Oxford Science Park. The team will later move to a purpose-made facility in the Oxford Science Park, currently under construction. Once complete, this state-of-the‑art facility will include more than 40,000 m² of research laboratory and office space.

It will house over 30 groups and up to 600 employees at scale, focused on solving the two critical challenges in making biology engineerable and applying the solutions to addressing the global challenges encapsulated in EIT’s Humane Endeavors.

The Generative Biology Institute (GBI) is seeking enthusiastic and motivated Research Assistants to join the institute. This role is ideal for individuals looking to apply their academic training in a practical, research-intensive environment. Research Assistants will support ongoing research projects within one or more GBI research groups, assisting with experimental work, data collection and analysis, and the development and maintenance of laboratory capabilities.

You will also contribute to the preparation of scientific reports, presentations, and other research outputs, working closely with researchers across GBI in a collaborative and well‑resourced setting dedicated to advancing engineering biology at scale.

Applicants are required to apply to specific research groups as part of their application. On the application form, you may select up to three (3) research groups. In your cover letter, please clearly indicate the group(s) you are applying to and describe your interest, relevant skills, and experience for each. Applications that do not specify research group preferences, or that select more than three groups, will not be considered.

All applications must be submitted exclusively through the EIT job portal. Please do not contact Principal Investigators directly, as direct outreach will not be considered as part of the application process. Due to the volume of applications, the review and decision process may take 3–6 months.

Leopold Parts – The Parts group works to engineer and model mammalian chromosomes. In particular, the group has long‑term aims to delete, randomize, evolve, and model chromosome‑scale DNA, all with the aim of informing models of synthetic DNA function; other ideas fitting this broad remit are very welcome.

Rongzhen Tian – The Tian group…