Associate Scientist / Scientist

Plant Co; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Plant Co in Dallas, TX seeks a hands-on Associate Scientist / Scientist, Plant Biology to advance synthetic biology and plant transformation programs. You will develop tissue culture methods, establish and characterize transgenic plants, and apply molecular tools to confirm engineered traits.

The role requires deep experience in tissue culture, transformation, and molecular analysis in a fast-paced startup.

Qualifications

• 2+ years hands-on experience with plant tissue culture in academic or industry labs.
• PhD path: 3+ years hands-on experience in plant tissue culture in academic or industry labs.
• Demonstrated experience with plant tissue culture and plant transformation protocols.
• Experience with plant bioassay development and GM/GE trait characterization under controlled growth environments.
• Experience in molecular biology (nucleic acid/protein extraction, gel electrophoresis).
• Strong experimental design, documentation, written/oral communication, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Work in a lab focused on plant propagation, tissue culture and transformation.
• Maintain plants in greenhouse and growth chambers.
• Develop, optimize, and execute protocols/SOPs independently.
• Design experiments and manage multiple projects to meet deadlines.
• Perform post-harvest quality and shelf-life evaluations."
• Lead technical aspects to ensure consistent execution of lab protocols and project goals.
• Contribute to transformation vector development.

Skills

Plant tissue culture

Plant transformation

Molecular biology

Experimental design

Documentation/communication

Startup environment

Education

MA/MS in plant biology/molecular biology/genetics or related field

PhD in plant biology or related field

Tools

Molecular analysis techniques

Job description

Associate Scientist / Scientist, Plant Biology – Plant Co

Dallas, Texas, USA

We are seeking a hands‑on Scientist, Plant Biology to support ambitious synthetic biology and plant transformation programs. This role will focus on developing plant tissue culture methods, establishing and characterizing transgenic plants, and applying molecular biology tools to confirm and analyze engineered traits. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in plant tissue culture, transformation, molecular analysis, and experimental design and execution in a fast‑paced startup environment. This position is onsite full‑time in Dallas, TX.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Working in a lab focusing on plant propagation, plant tissue culture and plant transformation.
• Experience with plant maintenance in greenhouse and growth chamber settings.
• Experience with plant tissue culture techniques and general sterile technique practices.
• Documenting experiment procedures, data collection and QC.
• Develop, optimize, and execute protocols/SOPs independently.
• Design experiments and work independently on multiple projects, driving continuous progress to meet deadlines.
• Perform post‑harvest quality and shelf‑life evaluations of plant materials.
• Perform literature reviews to evaluate and synthesize information for application in the laboratory.
• Provide scientific expertise and support transgenic event generation pipelines aligned with business objectives including DNA, RNA and protein detection and quantification.
• Successfully transition and/or develop molecular tools to characterize the plant multi‑omics profiles (e.g. genome, transcriptome, etc.) to better understand and identify DNA and RNA modifications.
• Provide technical leadership to team members to support consistent execution of laboratory protocols and project goals.
• Contribute to transformation vector development.

Required Qualifications:

• MA/MS in plant biology, molecular biology, genetics, biological sciences, or other science related fields; 2+ years of hands‑on experience working with plant tissue culture in academic or industry lab setting,
• OR PhD in plant biology, biological sciences, molecular biology, genetics, or related field; 3+ years of hands‑on experience working with plant tissue culture in academic or industry lab settings.
• Demonstrated experience with plant tissue culture and plant transformation protocols.
• Experience with plant bioassay development, GM/GE trait characterization and efficacy evaluation under controlled growth environments.
• Experience in molecular biology (nucleic and protein extraction, gel electrophoresis).
• Strong experimental design, documentation, written/oral communication, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to thrive in fast‑paced startup environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with transcriptomic, genomic, or other omics‑based characterization methods.
• Experience with non‑model plant systems for plant tissue culture and plant transformation.
• Experience developing or modifying plant transformation vectors.
• Experience with transgenic event characterization pipelines.

Work Authorization:

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Plant Co is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for this role now or in the future.