Group Leader, Cell Production; Plant Metabolism - PBI Plant Biology Institute

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 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.

• 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 a visionary and accomplished Group Leader in Plant and Cell‑Based Production to contribute to a transformative research programme at the forefront of plant biotechnology. This leadership role is integral to shaping a newly established and rapidly scaling Plant Biology Institute that aspires to become a global leader in delivering scientific breakthroughs with real‑world impact. The successful candidate will spearhead innovative focused research programmes in either plant specialised metabolism discovery and engineering, plant cell culture optimisation or the genetic regulation of the identity, metabolism and growth of plant cells in culture with the overall programme goal of advancing plant cell culture for novel decarbonised plant‑based production of food and/or medicines, guiding projects from fundamental discovery through to technological development and scalable application.

You will build and manage a high‑performing team, ensure research excellence and ensure research can be translated into impact and commercial opportunities aligned with EIT’s mission of humane and sustainable innovation. This is a rare opportunity to define the scientific direction of a next‑generation research hub addressing some of the planet’s most pressing challenges.

• 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 and lead a research group focused on plant specialised metabolism discovery and engineering, plant cell culture optimisation, and/or the genetic regulation…