Crop Geneticist James Hutton Institute, Department of Cell & Molecular Sciences

Main Purpose of Job

To provide vision and overall leadership in crop genetics and breeding within the Department of Cell & Molecular Sciences.

Crop genetic improvement plays a critical role in advancing objectives for sustainable agriculture, net zero, and food security. Advances in precision breeding, trait selection, and genomic technologies combined with modern AI techniques and quantitative methods offer significant potential to deliver improved crop performance, resource-use efficiency, and environmental sustainability.

• Accelerate genetic innovations and data-driven approaches to crop improvement across our key crops
• Conduct research on crop genetic improvement in one of the Hutton’s key crops
• Lead the potato, barley and soft fruit teams, providing vision, coherence and momentum
• Act as a key link with statistical genetics, digital technologies and other CMS research including crop pathology
• Actively contribute to the management of the Genetics and Physiology Group and the wider department
• Strategic role in supporting the Hutton flagships and links with University of Dundee
• Forge and maintain strong links between fundamental and applied research and stakeholders to ensure translation into practice