Research Fellow (Plant Genome Engineer) (110557-0625)

University of Warwick; Coventry; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Warwick is seeking a Research Fellow (Plant Genome Engineer) for an ARIA-funded project. This role involves developing innovative crop transformation technologies, contributing to vital research in plant biotechnology, and joining an interdisciplinary team committed to creating climate-resilient crops.

Benefits

30 days holiday plus Christmas closure

Excellent learning and development opportunities

Attractive pension scheme

Generous parental leave policy

Onsite childcare facilities

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Experience in plant transformation and molecular cloning.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and evaluate strains of Agrobacterium to increase crop transformation efficiency.
• Join a research group focused on climate-resilient crop engineering.

Skills

Plant transformation

Molecular genetics

Agrobacterium

Communication

Organizational skills

Education

PhD in Plant Sciences or related field

Job description

Research Fellow (Plant Genome Engineer) (110557-0625)

Research Fellow (Plant Genome Engineer) (110557-0625)

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University of Warwick provided pay range

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Base pay range

About The Role

For informal enquiries, please contact George Bassel (Professor) at [e-mail].

We are seeking a Plant Genome Engineer to work on an ARIA-funded project towards the development of a novel crop transformation technology.

The successful candidate will join the lab of Prof George Bassel, University of Warwick as an ARIA R&D Creator, working in a team to overcome the transformation bottleneck in crop biotechnology.

The role is a fixed-term contract initially for 18 months, full-time (1.0 FTE) at 36.5 hours per week, with an expected start date of September 1, 2025 at latest.

This project is funded by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA), and subject to contract negotiations.

What scientific question will you investigate? / Outline of the project aims

The project involves the engineering of the plant transforming bacterium Agrobacterium towards increasing its virulence. Strains will be developed and evaluated with respect to their capacity to increase the efficiency of crop transformation.

Candidates should have experience with plant transformation, Agrobacterium, plant growth, molecular genetics, and ideally bacterial genetics. They must also have excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills.

The postholder will join an active research group in the Bassel lab, while joining the ARIA community as an ARIA R&D Creator.

About The Research Group

You will join the Bassel group in the School of Life Sciences at Warwick University. We are a diverse group of interdisciplinary scientists who study plant response to the environment and using this information to engineer climate-resilient crops. This work represents a key enabling technology to reach this goal.

For more information about our lab visit https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/people/gbassel/

We and the wider University of Warwick environment offer substantial opportunities for professional development including regular opportunities to attend international conferences.

KEYWORDS: – Plant transformation, Agrobacterium, crop improvement, bacterial genetics, plant science

About You

We are looking for someone with expertise in plant transformation, plant growth and molecular genetics. Applicants should be proficient in plant transformation approaches, molecular cloning, plant growth and preferably bacterial genetics.

Candidates must also have excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills.

For further information regarding the skills required for this role please see the personal specification section of the attached job description.

About The Department

School of Life Sciences

For further information about the School of Life Sciences please see our website at

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci

We believe that collegiality, openness, inclusivity and diversity are essential for an excellent environment; this ethic has enabled us to gain an Athena SWAN Silver award. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you are excited by this role, we encourage you to apply, even if your past experience does not match exactly. We also encourage applications from all groups with protected characteristics.

About The University

Born in the 60s with a mindset of boldness, imagination and collaboration, the University of Warwick is a world-leading research-intensive university with the highest academic and research standards. We’re one of the world’s top universities, ranked 67th in the world and 10th in the UK*, with 92% of our research assessed to be ‘world leading or internationally excellent’**.

You'll be joining a diverse, innovative and globally connected community committed to igniting real world progress. Here at Warwick, we offer you opportunities to follow your ambitions as long as you bring the energy and determination to succeed.

• QS World University Rankings 2024
• Research Excellence Framework 2021
  
  

To find out more about us visit our website.

How to Apply

CLOSING DATE: Monday 23rd June 2025 at 23:55 (BST)

To apply, please click ‘Apply’ below and submit an application form by the closing date.

Please plan for any potential delays as you will not be able to submit an application form past this deadline (even if you opened the form at, say, 23:30).

You will have to attach a CV and a cover letter.

• Your CV should include your employment history (including your most recent employment), your education history, and any other relevant experience.
• Your cover letter should explain your motivations for applying to the role. It should also explain, using examples, how you meet each of the essential and desirable criteria detailed in the Job Description PDF document below. Please note that all essential criteria must be met by candidates who are invited to interview.
  
  

Please see here for guidance on writing a cover letter. We highly recommend using individual criteria as headers and explaining below, using examples, how you meet the criterion, though you are free to format the letter as you wish.

To streamline our hiring processes, we can only accept applications submitted via our official careers webpage, warwick-careers.tal.net.

• Interview Date: 4th July 2025
• Desired Start Date: 1st September 2025
  
  

What we Offer

We will provide you with a great range of benefits, which include an attractive pension scheme, 30 days holiday plus Christmas closure, excellent learning and development opportunities, and savings on a wide range of products and services. We offer a generous maternity/paternity/adoption/parental leave policy, and onsite childcare facilities.

We recognise the importance of a healthy work/life balance and offer you access to flexible working, for more information click here.

We are proud to say that we are a Living Wage employer.

If you are considering relocating to the UK, read our Relocation Guide to find out more about what Warwick has to offer and what might be involved in the process.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

Warwick is committedto building an organisation ofmutual respectanddignity, promoting awelcoming, diverse, and inclusive workingand learning environment. We recognise that everyone is different in a variety of visible and non-visible ways, and that those differences are to berecognised, respected, and valued. Where possible, we go beyond legislation to provide a place where everyone can thrive, supporting all staff to achieve their full potential. We aspire to remove economic, social, and cultural barriers that may otherwise prevent people from succeeding.

We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all communities regardless of culture, background, age, disability, sex/gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion/belief, or sexual or romantic orientation. To find out more about our social inclusion work at Warwick visit our webpageshere.

The University currently holds aRace Equality Charter Bronze Award,Athena Swan Sliver Awardand aDisability Smart Bronze Award.Further information on all of the University's Awards and Accreditations can be found here. The University of Warwick is also one of the six founder institutions of theEUTOPIA European University Alliance.

Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS)

The University of Warwick is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all those we work with.

In line with the DBS Code of Practice, the successful candidates for any roles involving regulated activity, will be subject to a DBS check at the appropriate level. The University will take all necessary measures to ensure that any individual subject to a barring order does not undertake any work with the barred group specified (i.e. children and/or adults).

We expect all employees, volunteers, and partners to share our commitment to safeguarding.

Rehabilitation of Ex-Offenders

The University undertakes not to discriminate against anyone who makes a disclosure relating to a conviction. The information disclosed at application stage is only visible to the central DBS team (i.e. not recruiting managers) to ensure there is no bias during the shortlisting process.

Job Description

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Right to Work in the UK

If you do not yet have the right to work in the UK and/or are seeking sponsorship for a Skilled Worker visa, please follow this link which contains further information about obtaining the right to work in the UK.

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