Senior Group Leader, Nitrogen Fixation - Plant Biology Institute Plant Biology Institute Oxfo

Join us at EIT:

At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we’re on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionaryscientists, 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.

At EIT we are seeking an inspiring and strategic Senior Group Leader/Group Leader in Nitrogen Fixation to lead a flagship research programme within its rapidly expanding Plant Biology Institute. This senior leadership position offers a unique opportunity to shape the scientific and operational foundations of a world‑class research team dedicated to developing innovative, purpose‑driven solutions in biological nitrogen fixation. You will play a central role in establishing EIT’s global leadership in plant science by recruiting and managing top‑tier talent, forging impactful collaborations, and driving translational research from lab to field.

With a clear focus on scientific excellence, commercial viability, and global impact, this role is ideal for a recognised thought leader ready to pioneer transformative science aligned with EIT’s values and mission to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges.

Leadership:

• Contribute to the development and expansion of a newly established plant science institute which will scale rapidly over the next 5 years to become a global leader in plant science research aimed at tackling humanity’s greatest challenges.
• Establish, lead, and continuously evolve a flagship research programme in biological nitrogen fixation in plants, with a particular emphasis on novel nitrogen fixing systems and advanced metabolic and protein engineering.
• To work with internal teams to define the path to impact for the research program. To design and execute research programmes and to ensure that all research programmes are value and purpose driven.
• To recruit and lead a top talent team of research scientists including post docs and PhD candidates. To hire based on competency,…