Research Technician - Plant Tissue Culture and Gene Editing

at  CSIRO

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

THE OPPORTUNITY

• Apply your skills in plant tissue culture & molecular biology to a varied role
• Contribute to strategic research projects focused on developing gene-edited crops
• Great opportunity to join Australia’s national science & innovation agency!
  We are currently seeking a motivated Research Technician to join our ‘Clonal Crops Trait Improvement’ team in Adelaide!
  CSIRO’s ‘Crops’ research program broadly focuses on providing genetic solutions to improve yield, protect crops from major diseases and insect pests, and apply modern pre‐breeding and breeding technologies to increase the productivity and value of major Australian food and beverage crops. We collaborate with industry to create real impact and enable sustainable crops in an evolving environment.
  In this hands-on lab-based role, you will join our dynamic ‘Clonal Crops Trait Improvement’ team in Adelaide, that is at the forefront of developing breakthrough DNA-free gene-editing methodologies to improve the sustainability and profitability of the Australian wine sector through the generation of improved clones of existing winegrape varieties. You will bring your skills & experience in plant tissue culture techniques, molecular biology, and genetic transformation of plant material, to undertake a variety of plant tissue culture tasks, design and perform experiments & laboratory analyses, and assist the team in delivering cutting-edge scientific research in the areas of plant tissue culture and gene editing. This position will be essential in contributing to externally-funded projects focused on the development of gene-edited perennial crops. Working across teams and projects, this multi-faceted role will also require strong problem-solving, teamwork, communication and multi-tasking capabilities.
  If you are an early-career research technician with a keen interest in the plant tissue culture field & new breeding technologies, this would be a great opportunity to build your career within a reputed R&D organisation, and collaborate with a multi-disciplinary team. CSIRO champions in providing a diverse & inclusive culture and offers you excellent professional development opportunities to grow your skills & career, so we would love to hear from you!

• Contributing to the development and delivery of cutting-edge scientific research in the areas of plant tissue culture and gene editing.
• Undertaking plant tissue culture tasks including preparation of media, initiation and maintenance of plant cell cultures, conducting plant gene editing experiments, regeneration of plants and plant propagation.
• Under limited supervision, designing and performing experiments and laboratory analyses, designing new processes by adapting existing techniques to meet special circumstances or undertaking modifications to methods requiring some innovation.
• Working across teams and projects, often on a number of parallel and competing tasks.
• General laboratory/glass house/field maintenance including solution/media preparation, maintenance of glass house and field plants, and maintenance of laboratory supplies.
• Maintaining accurate records of all experimental procedures and results obtained, which underpin future research decisions, publication, and IP protection using an electronic notebook system.
  Location: Adelaide, SA (CSIRO Waite Campus site)
  Salary: AU$73K – AU$93K pa + up to 15.4% superannuation
  Tenure: Specified Term until 30 June 2027
  Reference: 98622