Are you passionate aboutPlant Biotechnology, Synthetic Biology and the future of sustainablematerials?Do you want to use your scientific expertise to makereal-world impact?We have animmediate opening for anR&D Scientist in Synthetic Biology / Plant Sciences.
Apply fast, check the full description by scrolling below to find out the full requirements for this role.
Location:Edinburgh, UK
Full-Time (12-month contract, potential to extend to permanent)
Salary: £34,598-£37,067
About LeafyColl
The LeafyColl team is driven by the potential of plants to transform the production of structural proteins.We are a fast-growing engineering biology startup, developing a next-generation platform to producebioidentical proteins such as collagenusing plant-based systems. LeafyColl is building a scalable and sustainable alternative to animal-derived collagen, with applications across cosmetics, food, and biomaterials. Working with a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and commercial experts, we are rapidly developing a first-of-its-kind protein manufacturing platform.
Whom are we looking for:
We are seeking people driven by excellence, with a strong interest in using their passion for science and plants to create innovations with real-world impact. You will be engaging with pioneering work, building and optimising biological systems to enable recombinant protein expression using synthetic biology tools across plant and microbial systems. xsngvjr
Qualifications:
* PhD in Synthetic Biology, Molecular Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Biochemistry, or related discipline
* Experience in genetic construct design and molecular cloning
* Experience in recombinant protein expression (E. coli, algae, or plants)
* Experience with gene editing tools (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9)
* Experience in working on non-model plants or crops.
* Experience with plant-based expression systems (transient or stable)
Key accountabilities:
* Design and optimise genetic constructs for protein expression
* Develop and test recombinant protein expression systems (e.g., collagen)
* Perform molecular cloning, plasmid assembly, and validation
* Conduct transient expression and plant-based assays
* Generate and characterise stable plant lines
* Analyse protein expression and optimise yield and functionality
* Contribute to experimental design, data analysis, and reporting
* Work collaboratively in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment