Lettuce Genome Editing Scientist (CRISPR & Transformation)

Carbon13 group; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension

18‑month fixed-term contract

Ownership of high-impact programme

Professional development

Job summary

LeafyColl in Cambridge, UK is seeking a Plant Genome Editing Scientist (Lettuce Transformation and CRISPR) to lead genome editing from gene identification through transformation and validation. The role covers the full pipeline with hands-on transformation, tissue culture and molecular confirmation of edited lettuce lines.

The project aims to develop lettuce varieties with improved traits using CRISPR-Cas, with a strong emphasis on practical, bench-based work and collaboration within a startup

Qualifications

• PhD or near completion in plant molecular biology, plant biotechnology, plant genetics or related field.
• Proven success in generating, regenerating and sequence-confirming CRISPR-edited plants.
• Practical experience in Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation, tissue culture and whole-plant regeneration (lettuce preferred).
• Ability to run the full genome-editing workflow independently from construct design to regeneration and molecular validation.
• Experience identifying candidate genes for plant traits and designing genome-editing constructs.
• Ability to plan experiments, troubleshoot and collaborate well.

Responsibilities

• Identify and prioritise candidate genes for commercial traits using genomic data.
• Design CRISPR-Cas editing constructs and oversee their assembly.
• Evaluate advanced CRISPR tools where justified.
• Carry out lettuce transformation and optimise efficiency.
• Perform lettuce tissue culture, regeneration and rooting to establish whole plants.
• Confirm editing events by genotyping and sequencing.
• Develop transgene-free edited lines where feasible.
• Phenotype edited plants and report results against milestones.
• Collaborate with LeafyColl team and external partners.

Skills

CRISPR editing

Lettuce transformation

Tissue culture

Genotyping

Plant regeneration

Experiment planning

Education

PhD in plant molecular biology

Tools

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation

Genome editing workflow

Job description

LeafyColl in Cambridge, UK is seeking a Plant Genome Editing Scientist (Lettuce Transformation and CRISPR) to lead genome editing from gene identification through transformation and validation. The role covers the full pipeline with hands-on transformation, tissue culture and molecular confirmation of edited lettuce lines.

The project aims to develop lettuce varieties with improved traits using CRISPR-Cas, with a strong emphasis on practical, bench-based work and collaboration within a startup