Bee Biology Lead

Vylor Inc.; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off

Parental leave

Retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Vylor, Inc. is seeking an experienced Bee Biology Lead to establish and advance our bee research capabilities. This hands-on role will design, conduct, troubleshoot, and interpret studies while building the capacity to support discovery programs.

You’ll lead colony management, assays, and experimental protocols, leveraging molecular biology, genomics, and biochemistry to address bee biology questions and inform strategic decisions. Collaboration across disciplines is essential.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in entomology, apiculture, insect biology, physiology, molecular biology, genetics/genomics, microbiology, biochemistry, or closely related field with significant research experience.
• Hands-on experience maintaining and manipulating honey bees and colonies for research.
• Strong knowledge of honey bee biology, colony organization, development, reproduction, nutrition, behavior, health, pests, pathogens, and seasonal management.
• Ability to formulate hypotheses, design experiments, establish controls, develop protocols, troubleshoot biological systems, analyze data, and draw defensible conclusions.
• Hands-on expertise in molecular biology, genetics/genomics, gene-expression analysis, functional biology, microbiology, biochemistry, or omics.
• Strong quantitative, data-interpretation, documentation, and scientific communication skills.
• Ability to work in multidisciplinary teams and manage experimental deliverables.
• Willingness to perform seasonal outdoor apiary work with live bees.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain honey bee colony, apiary, laboratory, and controlled-environment research capabilities.
• Develop seasonal colony-management plans including establishment, queen management, nutrition, health monitoring, and overwintering.
• Design and execute experiments addressing bee biology, health, physiology, development, reproduction, behavior, and responses to variables.
• Develop and validate assays, protocols, and sampling methods for bees, brood, adults, queens, colonies, tissues, or samples.
• Apply molecular biology, genetics/genomics, functional biology, biochemistry, microbiology, or related methods to study bee biology.
• Analyze and integrate data to generate clear scientific conclusions and recommendations.
• Identify new methods, equipment, and collaborations to strengthen bee research.
• Maintain high standards for rigor, reproducibility, safety, and compliance.
• Provide technical direction and mentorship while remaining hands-on in experiments.
• Communicate progress, risks, needs, and recommendations to leadership; contribute to patents, publications, and external engagement.

Skills

Bee biology

Colony management

Experimental design

Data analysis

Molecular biology

Scientific communication

Team mentorship

Outdoor apiary work

Education

Ph.D. in entomology or related

M.S. with substantial equivalent experience

Tools

Genomics techniques

Biochemistry methods

Job description

Join Vylor—Powering the Future of Agriculture

At Vylor, we’re advancing agriculture through breakthrough science—combining elite germplasm, cutting-edge biotech, and next-generation expertise in gene editing and molecular breeding. Our portfolio includes trusted industry brands like Pioneer®, Brevant®, and Hoegemeyer®, delivering performance farmers rely on.

Join us to help scale innovation globally and shape what’s next in crop science.

Vylor is seeking an experienced and innovative Bee Biology Lead to establish and advance our bee research capabilities. This is a hands-on scientific role for an individual who will directly design, conduct, troubleshoot, and interpret research while building the capabilities needed to support discovery programs.

What You’ll Do

• Establish and maintain fit-for-purpose honey bee colony, apiary, laboratory, and controlled-environment research capabilities.

• Develop seasonal colony-management plans encompassing colony establishment, queen and brood management, nutrition, health monitoring, pest and disease management, overwintering, and preparation of colonies for experimental use.

• Personally design and execute rigorous experiments addressing bee biology, health, physiology, development, reproduction, behavior, and responses to biological or environmental variables.

• Develop, optimize, validate, and document assays, experimental protocols, and sampling methods for individual bees, brood, adults, queens, colonies, tissues, or other biological samples.

• Establish and apply approaches to understand bee biology and evaluate biological hypotheses, leveraging molecular biology, genetics/genomics, functional biology, biochemistry, microbiology, or related technologies.

• Analyze and integrate molecular, organismal, and colony-level data to generate clear scientific conclusions and recommendations.

• Identify and implement new methods, technologies, equipment, and external capabilities that strengthen or accelerate bee research.

• Maintain high standards for experimental rigor, reproducibility, research integrity, stewardship, safety, and compliance.

• Provide technical direction and mentorship to research associates, seasonal personnel, contractors, and collaborators while remaining directly engaged in experimental work.

• Communicate scientific progress, technical risks, capability needs, and recommendations to project and portfolio leadership and contribute to invention disclosures, patents, publications, and external scientific engagement as appropriate.

What Skills You Need

• Ph.D. in entomology, apiculture, insect biology, physiology, molecular biology, genetics/genomics, microbiology, biochemistry, or a closely related discipline, with significant relevant research experience; or an M.S. with substantial equivalent experience.

• Demonstrated hands-on experience maintaining and experimentally manipulating honey bees and colonies for scientific research.

• Strong knowledge of honey bee biology, colony organization, development, reproduction, nutrition, behavior, health, pests, pathogens, and seasonal colony management.

• Proven ability to independently formulate hypotheses, design experiments, establish controls, develop protocols, troubleshoot complex biological systems, analyze data, and draw defensible conclusions.

• Hands-on expertise in one or more areas relevant to bee or insect biology, such as molecular biology, genetics/genomics, gene-expression analysis, functional biology, microbiology, biochemistry, or omics.

• Strong quantitative, data-interpretation, documentation, and scientific communication skills.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary research teams while maintaining personal accountability for experimental deliverables.

• Ability and willingness to perform seasonal outdoor apiary work and handle live bees.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience establishing a new research apiary, bee laboratory, or comparable insect-research capability.

• Experience managing research colonies across multiple seasons, including overwintering, queen management, brood scheduling, and colony health management.

• Experience with advanced molecular or functional biology approaches such as genomics, transcriptomics, bioinformatics, microbiome analysis, proteomics, metabolomics, or cell-based systems.

• Demonstrated scientific impact through publications, patents, invention disclosures, or development of novel research capabilities.

Benefits – How We’ll Support You:

• Numerous development opportunities offered to build your skills
• Be part of a company with a higher purpose and contribute to making the world a better place
• Health benefits for you and your family on your first day of employment
• Four weeks of paid time off and two weeks of well-being pay per year, plus paid holidays
• Excellent parental leave which includes a minimum of 16 weeks for mother and father
• Future planning with our competitive retirement savings plan and tuition reimbursement program
• Learn more about our total rewards package here - Corteva Benefits
• Check out life at Vylor! https://www.linkedin.com/company/vylorgenetics/

Are you a good match? Apply today! We seek applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most creative talent on our team.

Corteva announced to separate our current advanced seed and genetics business to establish a standalone company, operating as Vylor, Inc. The process of the planned separation is anticipated to be completed the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to legal requirements and board approval. Should you accept this position, it is anticipated that, following conclusion of the separation, you would be an employee of Vylor, Inc. and your employment would be governed by Vylor, Inc. employment processes, programs, policies, and benefit plans. In that case, details of any planned changes would be provided to you by Vylor, Inc. at an appropriate time and subject to any necessary consultation processes.

Vylor is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to embracing our differences to enrich lives, advance innovation, and boost company performance. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, military or veteran status, pregnancy related conditions (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), disability or any other protected status in accordance with federal, state, or local laws.