Senior Plant Metabolic Engineer — Metabolic & Synthetic Biology

Ellison Institute of Technology; Oxford; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel allowance

Holiday entitlement

Pension 7.5%

Life Assurance

Private Medical Insurance

Employee discounts

Electric car scheme

Nursery Salary Sacrifice

Cycle to Work

Family Planning

Neurodiversity support

Coaching & Therapy services

Job summary

The Ellison Institute of Technology in Oxford invites applications for a Scientist or Senior Scientist in Plant Metabolic Engineering to join its Plant Biology Institute. You will develop metabolic engineering and synthetic biology approaches to optimize plant respiration, energy status and redox balance in cultures and whole plants.

The role includes translating research into commercial opportunities, contributing to IP, and collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to drive high‑impact

Qualifications

• PhD in Plant Biology or related field with strong research track record.
• Demonstrated experience in plant metabolic engineering and synthetic biology.
• Experience manipulating cellular processes and measuring respiration and redox.
• Proven ability to work with plant cells, tissues, and whole plants.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement and characterise engineering strategies to manipulate plant respiration and redox balance.
• Lead experiments in plant cell cultures and whole plants, translating findings between systems.
• Apply iterative design-build-test-learn cycles to refine engineering approaches.
• Mentor team members and contribute to IP generation and translational research.

Skills

Plant metabolic engineering

Synthetic biology

Genetic engineering in plants

Experimental design

Collaboration across disciplines

Education

PhD in Plant Biology, Synthetic Biology, Metabolic Engineering, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or related discipline

Tools

Microscopy analysis

High-throughput workflows

Laboratory automation

Job description

The Ellison Institute of Technology in Oxford invites applications for a Scientist or Senior Scientist in Plant Metabolic Engineering to join its Plant Biology Institute. You will develop metabolic engineering and synthetic biology approaches to optimize plant respiration, energy status and redox balance in cultures and whole plants.

The role includes translating research into commercial opportunities, contributing to IP, and collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to drive high‑impact