Sr. Scientist: Plant Physiology

Silal; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Silal is seeking a Senior Scientist in Plant Physiology to lead research at ARC-Gen in Abu Dhabi. The role focuses on designing and executing studies on plant physiological responses to heat, drought, and salinity to advance crop resilience.

You will collaborate across teams, mentor technicians, and translate insights into actionable strategies for abiotic resilience, contributing to global food security and sustainable agriculture.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Plant Physiology or related field.
• Fluent in English.
• 8+ years professional experience in plant physiology.
• Experience with abiotic stress and high-throughput phenotyping is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Explore and apply state-of-the-art plant physiology technologies.
• Lead experimental design for abiotic stress responses.
• Develop and validate phenotyping assays for drought, heat, and salinity.
• Interpret data to link physiology to genetic drivers.
• Collaborate with agronomy and molecular biology teams.
• Manage and mentor lab technicians.
• Design and manage research projects within ARC-Gen.
• Prepare detailed reports and presentations for stakeholders.
• Support knowledge transfer to end users and partners.

Skills

Stress physiology

Phenotyping

Genotype-to-Trait

Precision phenotyping

Multidisciplinary research

Education

Ph.D. in Plant Physiology

Fluent in English

Job description

Job Details

Job Title: Senior Scientist- Plant Physiology

Sector: Innovation Oasis

Department: Science and Research

Section: Plant health/ Physiology

Direct Reports To: Principal Scientist- Plant Physiology

Job Purpose

The Center of Excellence for Abiotic Resilience and Crop Genomics (ARC-Gen) is a partnership between Silal, the UAE’s leading agri-food and technology company, and Limagrain Vegetable Seeds (LVS), the world leader in Vegetable Seeds. This partnership is aiming to develop a world class research facility in UAE with state-of-the-art capabilities in plant physiology and gene editing, with the ultimate goal of enhancing crops’ ability to withstand extreme conditions such as heat, drought, and salinity.

As a Senior Scientist in Plant Physiology at ARC-Gen, you will participate in the execution and lead research projects in plant physiology to support crop improvement under abiotic stresses. This role involves designing and implementing experiments to understand plant physiological mechanisms and their genetic control, and translating findings into actionable strategies for abiotic resilience improvement in targeted crops.

Your work will contribute directly to global priorities such as food security, sustainable agriculture, and climate resilience.

Key Responsibilities

Functional

• Explore, adopt and implement state-of-the-art technologies in plant physiology.


• Lead experimental design and execution to understand plant responses to abiotic stresses.


• Develop and validate physiological assays for traits such as drought, salt or heat tolerance.


• Interpret data to identify physiological traits linked to stress tolerance.


• Partner with other scientific teams to prioritize candidate genes based on physiological impact.


• Develop, validate and execute phenotyping protocols.


• Work closely with experts in other domains (agronomists, (pre-)breeders, molecular and cell biologists, biostatisticians, etc.) to integrate physiological insights into abiotic stress projects.


• Optimize phenotyping protocols.


• Prepare detailed reports and presentations to communicate results to internal teams and end users.


• Participate in collaborations and interact with external partners.

Project Leadership & Management

• Propose, design, and manage research projects.


• Act as an expert in your domain and collaborate across research areas for timely delivery.


• Drive innovation and continuous improvement to accelerate research processes.


• Ensure efficient transfer of deliverables and know-how to end users.

People Management

• Mentor and supervise lab technicians.

Stakeholder Management

Key Internal Stakeholders

• All Sectors, Departments and Offices


• Any other concerned internal stakeholders as required

Key External Stakeholders

• Concerned government, semi-government and private sector entities


• Any other concerned external stakeholders as required.

Required Qualification

Academic Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Plant Physiology or related field


• Fluent in English

Professional Experience

• Professional Experience of a minimum of 8+ Years.


• Demonstrated expertise in Plant Physiology, plant growth and reproduction.


• Deep understanding of Plant Physiology.


• Experience with high-throughput precision phenotyping is a plus.


• Excellent problem-solving and data analysis skills.

Competencies

Technical Competencies

• Stress Physiology Profiling: Designing and executing experiments to decode how plants metabolically and physically respond to drought, heat, and salinity. Expert


• Phenotyping Assay Development: Creating and validating precise physiological assays to quantify stress tolerance levels in candidate crop varieties. Expert


• Genotype-to-Trait Correlation: Interpreting complex datasets to link physiological phenotypes with their underlying genetic drivers and regulatory networks. Expert


• Precision Phenotyping Protocols: Developing and optimizing high-accuracy protocols to measure plant performance across various developmental stages. Expert


• Multidisciplinary Research Integration: Synthesizing physiological data with agronomy and molecular biology to prioritize genes for the gene-editing pipeline Expert