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Germinal Chair in Translational Plant Breeding (5982)
Germinal Chair in Translational Plant Breeding (5982)
Germinal Chair in Translational Plant Breeding
Faculty/Department
Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences
Salary Scale
£59, £67,468.37 per annum, £74, £115,205.71 per annum
Contract Type
Permanent
Full-time / Part-time
Full-Time
Weekly Hours
36.5
Employment Visa
Sponsorable
Posted Date
18/02/2026
Closing Date
22/03/2026
Ref No
5982
Documents
IBERS Disgrifiad Swydd (Word, kb)
IBERS Job Description (Word, 1227.3kb)
Job Description
The Role
What you'll do
Who You Are – Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge And Skills Required
How to apply
Benefits
Employment Visa
The Role
The Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University carries out research and innovation on grassland systems. The institute is strategically funded by the BBSRC and traces its crop science history back to the Welsh Plant Breeding Station, established in 1919. BBSRC strategic investment funds the Core Strategic Programme in Resilient Crops which includes research on forage crops, upland grasslands, Miscanthus and oats. This strategic science is translated through plant breeding programmes, in collaboration with commercial partners, for forage grasses and legumes, cereals and pulses, and energy crops with many varieties on national and recommended lists. We have assembled unique germplasm and curate one of the most significant collections of forage grasses and legumes globally within a state-of-the-art genebank facility. This extensive crop biodiversity is subjected to powerful phenotyping and genotyping technologies to understand the biological mechanisms of yield quantity, quality and the stability of both. Our farmed environments and trial plots range from maritime, temperate locations that are amongst the most productive in Europe; to the uplands where grasslands deliver important agro-ecosystem, tourism supporting and well-being services. The genetic resources, the expertise of IBERS' plant, animal and microbial scientists, the close involvement of industry, and the Institute's' position as a knowledge hub for extension services, training, and capacity building, deliver demonstrable people and planet benefits.
As part of our ongoing commitment to the role of forages crops in sustainable agriculture and building on our close working relationship with Germinal, we are seeking to appoint a highly motivated and experienced research scientist to lead research on 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.
What you'll do
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.
The Appointee Will:
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 Be Expected To 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 flexibly-deployable equipment for measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence, spectral absorbance/ reflectance, porometers/gas exchange and CO2 monitors. We are using the application of robotics including aerial drones and telescopic towers for static imaging with a wide range of sensors, for crop evaluation. Grass harvesters have on-board NIRS and automated sampling. We have developed a unique soil plant air (SPA) facility to determine the efficiency of water use and yield accumulation.
Plant Phenomics: IBERS hosts the National Plant Phenomics Centre (NPPC), an automated system for non-invasive longitudinal phenotyping that can measure 1000's of plants in parallel. The NPPC, unique in the UK and one of a small number of networked facilities worldwide, allows populations of crops, and other plants, to be assessed by non-invasive sensors to record shoot growth and development, water content, photosynthetic activity, temperature and root development (using transparent soil columns).
More detailed measurements of photo-physiology can be made on up to 2,000 plants on our small plant platform. Extensive glasshouse and controlled environment facilities are also available including the Venlo (26 compartments offering control of temperature and day length), and 10 Sanyo and Saxil cabinets/rooms which provide control of day length, temperature and humidity. In addition work, using GPS enabled planting, drones and sensors is enabling taking phenomics to the field for both crop science and plant breeding programmes.
Gerpmlasm and genomics: The IBERS Seed Biobank comprises a collection of over 35,000 accessions of global importance for forage grasses, forage legumes, and energy grasses. Long term security of this unique resource was ensured by a £6 million investment as part of the recent AberInnovation development. Our associated quarantine glasshouses were refurbished in 2016 and are one of few facilities in the UK that can import, multiply and store field collected plant material. In our purpose-built seed processing unit, within the AberInnovation development, seed samples can be prepared from research to precommercial (10 tonnes) scales in line with International Seed Testing Association standards. The DNA sequencing laboratory represents a local capability for smaller projects especially where a faster turnaround is needed using Illumina MiSeq for SNP, metagenomics and amplicon sequencing. Cytology, chromosome biology, tissue culture and transfomation facilities are augmented with genome editing capability.
Bioinformaticsand high-performance computing (HPC): The IBERS HPC cluster consists of 544 CPU cores and 4 TB RAM spread across 13 computer nodes. There is 43 TB storage capacity with an additional 11 TB of fast access disk, which provides working space for over 100 users. The IBERS cloud (a collection of stand-alone high-performance computers dedicated to deploy 'on demand' servers and/or services) underpins the web-based services for bioinformatics (e.g., Galaxy) as well as other services. The IBERS cloud is composed of 55 TB of dedicated storage, 104 cores and 1 TB of memory RAM. There is also a 1.2 Pb of disk space available for long-term storage connected both to the HPC and IBERS Cloud, with storage repositories backed-up on a weekly basis.
Analytical chemistry and metabolomics:The Analytical Chemistry unit at IBERS holds ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in 19 techniques of forage and nutrient analyses and processes internal and external samples. The metabolomics facility at IBERS include high resolution mass spectrometry and chromatography techniques (GC-MS-MS, GC-tof-MS, LC-MS) for untargeted metabolomics, chemical and structural analysis, proteomics and cell profiling.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
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 plans, engage in continuous personal and professional development in line with the demands of the role, including undertaking relevant training and development activities to develop yourself and support the development of others.
Ensure and promote the personal health, safety and wellbeing of staff and students as well as working to support the University's environmental sustainability agenda and practices.
Perform duties in a manner that promotes fairness, fosters trust, and reflects and upholds the University's values.
Commitment to advancing equality of opportunity and support diversity and inclusion.
To undertake such other duties which may be reasonably requested and are commensurate with the nature and grade of the post.
The above does not represent an exhaustive list of duties associated with this role.
Essential
Who you are – Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge and Skills required
PhD or equivalent in a relevant research area, and an outstanding academic or industry distinction of international standing.
A detailed understanding of plant breeding with leading knowledge of how to apply crop genomics to plant breeding.
Ability to translate science for the development of crop varieties.
Ability to secure significant external research funding.
Ability to publish in leading scientific journals.
Presentation and communication skills required for teaching/ training, engagement and extension activities.
Ability to work within and with multi-disciplinary teams.
PhD supervision.
Full valid UK driving licence, or equivalent right to drive in the UK.
An ability to understand the bilingual nature of the University and an awareness of the procedures in place to support working bilingually.
Desirable
Existing holder of Readership, Professorship or equivalent**Applications from individuals with commercial, industrial or non-standard academic backgrounds will be considered.
Knowledge of forage seed production.
Knowledge of Crop science to further climate change adaptation or mitigation strategies.
Knowledge of Crop science for international development.
Knowledge of Crop science for improving product quality.
Ability to engage with policymakers and research funding agencies.
Oral (spoken) and Written Welsh Level C1.*
More information on Welsh Language Levels can be found at:
How to apply
To promote a flexible workforce, the University will consider applications from individuals seeking full time, part time, job share, or term time only working arrangements.
Applications for this role must be made through You are welcome to apply for any vacancy in Welsh or English and any application submitted will be treated equally.
Benefits
Flexible working policy
36.5 – hour week for full-time roles
Generous leave entitlements – 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays and university closed days
Commitment to Professional Development
Enhanced contribution to our workplace pension schemes
Staff recognition and reward schemes
Opportunity to learn the Welsh language for free
Staff relocation bursary
Maternity, Paternity, Parental and Adoption Leave
Staff discount for gym facilities, hospitality, and retail on campus.
Please keep reading
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities and, those that are currently underrepresented in our workforce. This includes but is not limited to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, candidates with disabilities, and female candidates.
We are a Bilingual Institution which complies with the Welsh Language Standards and is committed to Equal Opportunities. You are welcome to apply for any vacancy in Welsh or English and any application submitted will be treated equally.
Employment Visa
We welcome international applicants who are eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker Route.
Under the points-based system, this role meets the criteria to be sponsored by AU for an SWR application. Please be advised that AU will only support the Certificate of Sponsorship for any employment visas and will not support the payment of the employment visa for the offered candidate and/or dependants.
Any Prospective Candidates Coming To Work For AU Under The SWR Will Require a Minimum Of 70 Points, Made Up Of The Following:
Skilled Worker Route Points-Based System
Points
Meets (Yes / No)
Mandatory / Non-tradeable Criteria (50 points)
A job offer from a UK licensed sponsor
20 points
Yes
Job is above the minimum sponsorable skill level
20 points
Yes
Appointed candidate to have appropriate knowledge of the English language*
10 points
Yes
Total = 50 points
Tradeable Criteria (dependent on candidate appointed)
Salary meets minimum threshold
20 points
The candidate holds a PhD in a subject relevant to the job
10 points
The candidate holds a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job
20 points
The advertised role is on the UK Shortage Occupation List (SOL)
20 points
Appropriate knowledge is classed as the following:
A national of a majority English speaking country
Having an academic degree taught in English (if an overseas degree, must be verified by NARIC)
Completing and passing an English language test at Level B1 or above.
For more information, please visit:
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