Scientist, Image Based Screening - 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
• Climate Change & Managing CO₂
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

This is ambitious work - work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you’ll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society. Explore more at www.eit.org.

Welcome to the Plant Biology Institute:

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

The Plant Biology Institute will unite world-class researchers who are focused on expanding the frontiers of plant science. Our research is focused on enhancing our ability to feed the planet while simultaneously improving the climate and ecosystem outcomes of food production. By embedding cutting-edge plant science research within an organisation that is focused on solving global challenges at scale, we aim to accelerate the timeline from discovery to global impact.

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. They will also work with global leaders in market development, commercialisation, and impact creation. The Plant Biology Institute has long-term substantial funding to support the unique scale and ambition of its vision.

Your Role:

EIT is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Scientist in High-Throughput High-Content Imaging and Cell Phenotypic Screening to join its pioneering Plant Biology Institute and establish an automated, image-based platform for plant cells. The successful candidate will combine expertise in advanced microscopy, quantitative image analysis and cell-based assay to enable high-throughput characterisation of cellular phenotype, working closely with automation and AI team to develop scalable screening workflows. 

The scientist will be expected to contribute to publications and IP generation and play an active role in translating research into real-world and commercial solutions aligned with EIT’s mission of humane technological advancement. This role offers a unique opportunity to conduct high-impact research at the forefront of plant science while collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to drive innovation from lab to global impact.

Your Responsibilities:

• Design and optimise high-throughput, image-based phenotypic screening workflow for plant cell systems.
• Develop robust cell-based imaging assays to quantify phenotypes including cell growth, division, morphology, viability and cell-state changes.
• Design and optimise fluorescence-based assays and reporter system for quantitative phenotypic screening.
• Establish reproducible image acquisition and analysis pipeline, including segmentation, feature extraction and phenotypic classification.
• Evaluate and implement appropriate microscopy technologies, including high-content imaging, confocal and other approaches according to experimental needs.
• Design rigorous screening experiments with appropriate controls, replications and statistical analysis. 
• Analyse, interpret and communicate results. Using findings to guide biological validation and subsequent design-build-test-learn cycles.
• Work closely with automation teams to integrate imaging workflows for scalable screening.
• Collaborate with bioinformatic and AI team to develop and validate advanced image-analysis and phenotype classification.

Examples of relevant experience may include:

• Developing morphology-guided or image-based phenotypic screening assays in mammalian cell lines or other cultured cellular model systems.
• High-content phenotypic screens following genetic or chemical perturbations.
• Image-based CRISPR or other functional genomic screens.
• High-throughput imaging and analysis of organoids, spheroids or other three-dimensional cell culture system.
• Application of machine learning or AI to large-scale cellular-imaging datasets.

Requirements

Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• PhD in cell biology, developmental biology, bioengineering or related discipline with relevant postdoctoral experience in industry or academia.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and optimising quantitative, image-based cellular assay, including experience with high-throughput or high-content screening workflows.
• Extensive hands-on experience with imaging of cells or tissues using widefield, fluorescence, confocal microscopy or other advanced microscopy platforms.
• Strong understanding of cellular phenotypes and ability to translate biological questions into measurable imaging readouts.
• Experience with quantitative image analysis, including segmentation, feature extraction, tacking and phenotypic classification.
• Ability to develop experimental workflows and optimise them through design-build-test-learn cycles.
• Strong scientific communication, data interpretation, troubleshooting and collaboration skills.

Desirable Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• Deep knowledge of cell cycle, cell division, differentiation.
• Experience with laboratory automation, including integration of automated microscopy with liquid handling, plate handling or robotic workflows.
• Experience with 3D cellular systems, including cell aggregates, organoids, spheroids or tissue-based imaging.
• Experience working collaboratively with computational scientists, AI researchers or engineers on multidisciplinary projects.
• Knowledge or practical experience of plant cell biology, plant cell culture or plant developmental biology.
• Programming skills for imaging processing, data analysis or workflow automation.

Benefits

• Salary dependent on experience + travel allowance + bonus

• Enhanced holiday. Our annual leave allowance is 25 days plus 8 bank holidays and an additional 3 days between Christmas and New Year. You will also have the opportunity to purchase an additional 5 days annual leave in January and July.
• Pension - Employer contribution 7.5%, minimum employee contribution 5%
• Life Assurance.
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance as standard for you, your partner and any dependents. Including hospital Cash Plan
• Employee discounts
• Electric car scheme
• Nursery Salary Sacrifice scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Family Planning
• Neurodiversity support including advise and assessments
• Coaching & Therapy services