Genome Editing Scientist

At Wild Bio we are radically enhancing crops to feed the world sustainably and promote a wilder planet. Wild plants have had half a billion years to evolve natural solutions for thriving in almost every environment on Earth. Our proprietary genetics platform harnesses these wild innovations to enhance the world’s most important crops. Wild-enhanced crops would simultaneously boost farm yields and promote gigaton-scale carbon mitigation strategies. If you’re looking for a start-up that has enormous potential for impact on growers, consumers, and the planet, please read on.

Wild Bio is a well-funded, fast-paced Oxford University spin-out working from state-of-the-art labs and offices at Milton Park, Oxfordshire. We are about to enter an exciting phase of growth and are looking for a driven and curious Scientist to join us and significantly contribute to delivering the change we believe in.

Our Values

Our work is guided by three core values that define who we are and how we approach our mission:

• Curiosity: We fuel our desire to explore the unknown, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and sparking innovation. We ask questions, seek answers, and embrace lifelong learning.
• Community: We believe in the strength and support gained through collaboration and inclusion. As part of a global community, we nurture connections to drive meaningful impact for both people and planet.
• Courage: We face challenges head-on, take calculated risks, and stand up for our beliefs. Our bravery propels us to take action, even in the face of adversity.

If these values resonate with you, we invite you to join our team of passionate scientists and innovators working at the cutting edge of bioscience.

The Role

We are looking for a scientist to lead the expansion of our genome editing technologies. You’ll drive innovation across our editing toolkit, from construct and promoter design to how editing performance interacts with plant transformation, as well as establishing new editing modalities in our target crops.

This is a cross-functional R&D role for someone at the forefront of plant genome editing who wants to build the next generation of tools rather than run an established pipeline.

Job Requirements

• PhD in plant molecular biology, plant genetics, plant science, or a related field.
• A demonstrable track record of developing genome editing technology, not just applying it (e.g. improving editing efficiency or precision, engineering new editor architectures, or establishing a new editing modality in a new system), evidenced by publications or patents.
• Hands-on experience applying CRISPR in plants, including an understanding of how transformation, selection and regeneration systems influence editing outcomes.
• An up-to-date command of the genome editing field, especially in plants, including emerging technologies, the research groups driving them, and the regulatory landscape shaping their application.
• Advanced molecular biology and construct design skills, including multi-component vector assembly and using regulatory elements to optimise editing activity.
• Experience designing and interpreting NGS-based editing readouts, such as amplicon sequencing.
• A rigorous approach to experimental design, and the judgement to make evidence-based go/no-go calls on new technologies.
• Evidence of driving innovation: generating original ideas and leading ambitious projects where the path isn’t mapped out.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to partner effectively with transformation, tissue culture, molecular and computational colleagues, as well as external collaborators.
• Direct experience establishing base editing, prime editing, or HDR (homology-directed repair) in a plant system is highly desirable.

Job Responsibilities

As a technical lead in our genome editing efforts, you’ll set the direction for how Wild Bio edits crop genomes – and keep us at the front of a fast-moving field. You will:

• Own the technical roadmap for our genome editing toolkit, working with Trait Design Scientists to prioritise new capabilities that will unlock the most value for our trait programmes.
• Lead the design and testing of new editing methodologies and drive projects to establish new capabilities such as HDR-based editing and prime editing, including collaborations with external academic or industry partners.
• Collaborate with other scientists to rapidly validate new editing designs in our crop-specific cell system.
• Partner closely with Plant Transformation Scientists to optimise editing designs alongside delivery method, cell type and regeneration route.
• Scout and assess emerging editing technologies, and make clear recommendations on what we should adopt, develop or ignore.
• Develop editing methods with product delivery in mind, ensuring the approaches we adopt produce crops that fit within existing regulatory frameworks.
• Define success criteria and go/no-go points for technology projects, working with genotyping and computational colleagues to measure editing outcomes robustly.
• Hand over validated, well-documented approaches to the teams who will run them routinely.

Benefits

• Group life cover x 4 of base salary
• Critical illness cover x 4 of base salary
• Pension scheme with a 5% Company contribution
• Private medical insurance including dental and optical
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Regular company socials
• Complimentary refreshments throughout the week
• Team meals including breakfast on a Monday and lunch each Friday, creating opportunities for informal networking and team bonding
• Training and development opportunities
• Flexible working opportunities
• Opportunity to work with cutting-edge science

Location

We’re headquartered in Milton Park, a business and technology park in Oxfordshire. This is an on-site role, though we offer flexibility and hybrid working when possible.