About the Role
The Center of Excellence for Abiotic Resilience and Crop Genomics (ARC-Gen) is a partnership aiming to develop a world-class research facility in the UAE, focused on enhancing crops' resilience against extreme conditions such as heat, drought, and salinity. As a Senior Scientist in Cell Biology, you will manage research projects related to plant cell biology, tissue regeneration, and genome editing delivery systems. Your work will help establish a Gene Editing Research Unit and develop genome-edited plants that can thrive in arid environments, contributing to global objectives like food security and climate resilience.
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Key Responsibilities
Functional
- Explore, adopt, and implement state-of-the-art technologies in plant cell biology.
- Develop novel tools and methodologies for cellular studies.
- Optimize protocols for cell biology, tissue regeneration, and genome editing tool delivery in ARC-Gen strategic vegetable crops.
- Investigate plant cell and tissue developmental processes using advanced microscopy and cell biology techniques.
- Contribute to functional genomics studies to elucidate gene functions and regulatory networks related to abiotic stresses.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (geneticists, bioinformaticians, trait experts, pre-breeders) to integrate cell biology findings with genomic data.
- Work collaboratively with experts across disciplines to deliver an integrated genomics pipeline.
- Collaborate closely with gene editing experts to integrate improved cell biology protocols into various projects and applications.
- Prepare detailed reports and presentations to communicate results to internal teams and end users.
- Participate in collaborations and interact with external partners.
Project Leadership & Management
- Propose, design, and manage research projects.
- Act as an expert in your domain and collaborate across research areas for timely delivery.
- Drive innovation and continuous improvement to accelerate research processes.
- Ensure efficient transfer of deliverables and know-how to end users.
People Management
- Mentor and supervise lab technicians.
Stakeholder Management
Key Internal Stakeholders
- All Sectors, Departments, and Offices.
- Any other concerned internal stakeholders as required.
Key External Stakeholders
- Concerned government, semi-government, and private sector entities.
- Any other concerned external stakeholders as required.
Required Qualifications
Academic Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Plant Cell Biology, Plant Biotechnology, or a related field.
- Fluent in English.
Professional Experience
- Minimum of 8+ years of professional experience.
- Demonstrated expertise in cell biology and genetic transformation.
- Deep understanding of genome editing principles and molecular biology.
- Experience with in vitro plant culture and monocots/dicots transformation is a plus.
- Excellent problem-solving and data analysis skills.
- Knowledge of regulatory constraints and quality processes.
Competencies
Technical Competencies
- Plant Tissue Culture & Regeneration: Expertly optimizing in vitro protocols to regenerate whole plants from edited single cells.
- Genome Editing Delivery: Mastering transformation techniques like Agrobacterium or biolistics to deliver CRISPR components.
- Abiotic Stress Physiology: Understanding molecular mechanisms of heat, drought, and salinity to develop resilient crop traits.
- Advanced Microscopy & Imaging: Utilizing confocal or fluorescence microscopy to visualize and validate subcellular developmental processes.
- Integrated Genomics Pipeline: Collaborating across bioinformatics and breeding to translate cellular findings into scalable R&D.
