Germinal Chair in Translational Plant Breeding

The Role

The Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University carries out research and innovation on grassland systems. IBERS is funded by the BBSRC and conducts plant breeding and related research in forage crops, upland grasslands, Miscanthus and oats. The institute maintains germplasm collections and uses genomics and phenomics to understand yield, quality and stability. Our facilities include field trial sites and a genebank, with collaboration across industry and academia to deliver benefits to people and the planet.

We are seeking to appoint a highly motivated and experienced research scientist to lead translational plant breeding research at IBERS with a focus on the Germinal forage plant breeding programmes. The ideal applicant will have an established research background in plant genomics and phenomics and their application to plant breeding. To make an informal enquiry, please contact Professor Iain Donnison at

Appointments are normally made within 4 – 8 weeks of the closing date.

This job description is subject to review and amendment in the light of the changing needs of the University, to provide appropriate development opportunities and/or the addition of any other reasonable duties.

• Develop a programme of translational plant breeding research that will enhance plant breeding at IBERS with a focus on the Germinal forage plant breeding programmes.
• Ensure the application of genomics and phenomics, including drones and hyperspectral imaging, in plant breeding and provide a link between the plant breeding programmes and the relevant upstream research in plant, animal, and environment science at IBERS.
• Be conversant with cutting edge genetic technologies and liaise with Germinal plant breeders to apply these where appropriate to breeding programmes.
• Develop collaborations and grant proposals to enhance the science of genomics and phenomics and their application to plant breeding programmes by working with researchers, Germinal and other stakeholders across the supply chain (levy boards, animal feed companies, retailers etc).
• Play a lead role in the management of research projects and coordination of reporting of progress within these projects to grant funders.
• Represent Institute crop genomic, phenomic and plant breeding science externally with a range of stakeholders.
• Publish crop genomic, phenomic and plant breeding science in refereed papers and reviews, and present research at national and international scientific and industry focused conferences and events to increase the profile of forage plant breeding at IBERS.

The post will be based in the Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth, and the successful applicant will engage with other researchers in IBERS including those covering grassland science, upland agro-ecosystems, and the breeding of cereals, grain legumes and energy crops. Our state-of-the-art facilities of particular relevance to this post include:

Field Phenomics
:
We manage over 1,000ha of diverse farm research and teaching platforms at Gogerddan, Trawsgoed, Morfa Mawr, and Pwllpeiran. Plots are assessed with a range of equipment for measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence, spectral absorbance/reflectance, porometers/gas exchange and CO2 monitors. Drones and robotics are used for static imaging and crop evaluation. Grass harvesters have on-board NIRS and automated sampling. We have developed a soil plant air (SPA) facility to determine water use efficiency and yield accumulation.

Plant Phenomics
: IBERS hosts the National Plant Phenomics Centre (NPPC), an automated system for non-invasive longitudinal phenotyping that can measure thousands of plants in parallel. The NPPC is a unique facility in the UK and internationally, enabling non-invasive sensor-based assessments of growth, water content, photosynthetic activity, temperature and root development.

Genomics, Germplasm and HPC
:
The IBERS Seed Biobank comprises a collection of over 35,000 accessions for forage grasses, legumes and energy grasses. The DNA sequencing laboratory supports smaller projects with rapid turnaround using Illumina sequencing. Cytology, chromosome biology, tissue culture and genome editing facilities are available.

Bioinformatics and HPC
:
The IBERS HPC cluster provides substantial compute resources, with an IBERS cloud for on-demand services and large storage capacity to support bioinformatics workflows (e.g., Galaxy) and other services.

Analytical chemistry and metabolomics
:
The Analytical Chemistry unit holds ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in forage and nutrient analyses and supports metabolomics and proteomics facilities.

• To lead on the translation of genomic and phenomic sciences to further the plant breeding programmes at IBERS and Germinal Horizon.
• To contribute to the management and future direction of IBERS, commensurate with the seniority of the role.
• To support the university strategy and underlining…