EDUCATION / QUALIFICATIONS

Highers, A Levels of HNC in Science/Horticulture subjects
BSc or
HND plus relevant experience.

EXPERIENCE:

Some experience of scientific experiments
Experience in lab, glasshouse and/or field environments
Computer literate including spread sheets and word processing software.
Use of more advanced scientific equipment
Broad general understanding of the importance of soils and plants in underpinning agriculture and environmental services.

SKILLS:

Evidence of working in a small team and alone
Good communication and interpersonal skills
Excellent organizational and time management skills
Evidence of accurate record keeping.
Positive attitude and self-motivated
Interest in measurement of plant interactions with the environment.
Awareness of good laboratory practice including the importance of Health and Safety and Risk Assessment
We will not consider the use of 3rd party recruitment agencies for the sourcing of candidates for this position.
The James Hutton Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
The James Hutton Institute is a: Stonewall Diversity Champion; Athena SWAN Bronze Status Holder; Disability Confident Committed Employer and a Living Wage Employer.
The James Hutton Institute is Happy to Talk Flexible Working

MAIN PURPOSE OF JOB

The main role of the job will be to assist existing staff in delivery of experiments required for RESAS and EU project Root2Res. To deliver these experiments, the role will need to help run controlled environment experiments and field experiments.
The job will focus on preparation, maintenance and sampling of these experiments, and responsibility for processing soil and plant samples for molecular biology and physiological assessment. Training in all procedures will be given as required. Some outdoor work will be required and is an integral part of the role.

We are seeking an enthusiastic individual:

• with some fundamental understanding of the importance and function of plants and soil
• who understands the challenges of working outdoors when field sampling
• that will work as part of a team in contributing to the delivery of world class research

This post is fixed term from the middle of May to beginning of July 2025.

MAIN DUTIES OF POSTHOLDER

• Prepare growth media for experiment, sieve soil and fill pots for plant growth
• Assist in planting and maintenance of plant growth by daily watering for a range of water treatments
• Assist in sampling of field experiments
• Be involved in the collection and process circa 1000 shoot tissue samples, 500 soil samples, and 150 atmospheric gas samples over the main growing season.
• Assist in shoot tissue processes by freeze drying, grinding, digesting, and preparing for analysis of P, N, C and micronutrients using spectrophotometry, and ICP.
• Assist in root sample analysis using techniques for root hairs and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi analysis
• assist in soil sample processing and analysis which may include pH, extraction for C, N, P and micronutrients, extract of DNA/RNA and measures of soil moisture content.