Agricultural Scientist

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Title-Research Associate (Translational biology)

Location-Johnston, IA, USA, 50131

Duration- 12 months contract

Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm

Client is seeking a highly motivated Research Associate to join the Transgene Expression Engineering team. This role will support the discovery, characterization, and deployment of expression elements that regulate transgene expression across crops and tissues of interest. The successful candidate will contribute to research efforts focused on identifying promoters, introns, terminators, untranslated regions, and other regulatory sequences that help achieve precise, reliable, and trait-relevant gene expression.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the design, planning, and execution of experiments and characterize gene expression elements in crops of interest.
• Perform molecular biology and plant biotechnology workflows, including vector construction, plasmid preparation, Agrobacterium transformation, transient expression assays, protoplast assays, plant sampling, and phenotyping.
• Contribute to functional evaluation of promoters, introns, terminators, untranslated regions, and expression-modulating elements using laboratory, greenhouse, and controlled-environment assays.
• Collect plant tissue samples and coordinate sample submission for protein, transcript, or reporter-based expression analysis.
• Generate, organize, analyze, and interpret experimental data to assess expression strength, tissue preference, developmental patterns, and regulatory element performance.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and timely records of experimental designs, methods, observations, data, and conclusions in laboratory notebooks and data systems.
• Troubleshoot experimental protocols, identify process limitations, and participate in continuous improvement efforts to increase assay efficiency and data quality.
• Collaborate with scientists, Senior Research Associates, bioinformatics partners, transformation teams, greenhouse teams, and trait project teams to support project milestones.
• Communicate experimental progress, results, and recommended next steps clearly in team meetings, written summaries, and presentations.
• Follow all safety, stewardship, regulatory, and data integrity requirements while maintaining a safe and organized work environment.

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree in molecular biology, plant biology, genetics, biochemistry, biotechnology, crop science, or related discipline with relevant academic or industry experience.
• Hands-on experience with basic molecular biology techniques such as PCR, cloning, plasmid isolation, gel electrophoresis, bacterial transformation, and DNA/RNA sample handling.
• Experience working in a research laboratory and ability to follow detailed experimental protocols with attention to accuracy and reproducibility.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple experiments, timelines, samples, and datasets simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain high-quality records and communicate technical information clearly.
• Foundational bioinformatics skills, organize biological datasets, interpret basic computational outputs, and collaborate effectively with bioinformatics partners.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-based research environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and commitment to safe laboratory practices.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and related data management tools.
• Experience analyzing large datasets, including organizing complex data, identifying trends or patterns, summarizing key findings, and presenting results in a clear and actionable format.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with high throughput assays for transgene expression analysis, Agrobacterium handling, transient expression assays, protoplast assays, or reporter-based expression systems.
• Familiarity with gene regulation, promoter function, intron-mediated enhancement, transcription termination, untranslated regions, or transgene expression cassette design.
• Experience working with plants in laboratory, greenhouse, growth chamber, or field settings.
• Experience with protein expression assays, transcript analysis, imaging, phenotyping, or plant sample tracking.
• Basic understanding of experimental design, statistical analysis, data visualization, or high-throughput data organization.
• Interest in genomics, transcriptomics, bioinformatics, AI/ML-enabled discovery, or computational approaches for regulatory element identification.
• Demonstrated curiosity, adaptability, and willingness to learn new technologies and workflows.

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