Laboratory Technician - Plant Biology Institute

Join us at EIT:
At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we're on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity's greatest challenges in four transformative areas:

• Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
• Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

Explore more .org.

The Plant Biology Institute, headed by Professor Steve Kelly, is a key part of EIT Oxford. It aims to develop impactful and commercially sustainable solutions for improving global food production and planetary health through pioneering plant science research.

Areas of exploration include:

• Improved plant productivity, both indoors and outside
• Reduced reliance on inputs including water, fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides.
• Novel decarbonised plant-based production platforms for food and medicines
• Advanced technologies that speed up discovery and deployment in plants.

Researchers will have access to state‑of‑the‑art laboratory and plant growth facilities and have opportunities to collaborate with experts at the forefront of research on AI, automation, and generative biology across the EIT ecosystem.

We are seeking a detail‑oriented and proactive Laboratory Technician to provide essential laboratory and experimental support within our Plant Sciences research programmes.

• Grow and maintain experimental plants under controlled conditions (growth chambers).
• Prepare reagents, buffers and transformation constructs as required.
• Support Agrobacterium‑mediated transformation.
• Prepare plant and microbial samples, including culture media, inoculations, antibiotics, and controlled environment setups.
• Support biochemical analyses, including protein extraction, purification, quantification, SDS‑PAGE, immunodetection techniques (e.g., Western blot), plate‑reader assays.
• Maintain and propagate tissue culture materials under sterile conditions and assist in the transformation of plant tissues.
• Assist in the culture and maintenance of plant or microbial cells in a variety of systems; support upstream and downstream processing steps including inoculation, growth monitoring, harvesting, genotyping, metabolic analysis, sampling, extraction and preparation for analysis.
• Execute routine molecular biology workflows to support genetic characterization of plant and microbial strains.
• Prepare sterile media and maintain aseptic conditions for cell‑based cultures. Operate and monitor small‑scale bioreactors or fermenters.

• Keep the laboratory clean and organised, including regularly cleaning benches, instruments, and common spaces.
• Support general laboratory organisation processes and stock management.
• Ensure that all equipment is properly stored, calibrated, and maintained; assist with equipment setup and basic troubleshooting.
• Disinfect and sterilise laboratory tools, consumables, and areas according to established protocols.
• Ensure laboratory safety standards are adhered to, including proper handling and disposal of waste materials.
• Comply with GMO regulations, follow SOPs, biosafety procedures, and plant quarantine protocols.

• Accurately record experimental procedures and data in laboratory notebooks or digital systems.
• Support data analysis through organisation of datasets, labelling of samples, and contribution to experimental summaries.

• Assist in managing inventory of reagents, consumables, and laboratory supplies in accordance with EIT procedures.
• Keep accurate records of inventory levels, assist with ordering new stock, and ensure supplies are replenished in a timely manner.
• Ensure all reagents and materials are correctly labelled, stored, and easily accessible for workflows.

• Assist with the transport and preparation of biological samples, ensuring proper documentation and labelling procedures.
• Deliver and retrieve samples and materials between different laboratory sections as needed.
• Handle and deliver consumables or samples to…