Molecular Geneticist (m/f/d) (80-100%)
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Employment: Contract for 3 years with the option to convert to permanent employment based on excellent performance.
The Swiss Plant Breeding Center (SPBC) is seeking an experienced and versatile Molecular Geneticist. In this role, you will establish and optimize laboratory methodology for translating genomic data into actionable insights, acting as the bridge between laboratory analyses and breeding decisions at Swiss private and public breeding organizations. Your primary objective is to leverage genomics to accelerate the development of resilient and high-quality crop varieties well-adapted to Switzerland. This presents a unique opportunity to contribute to the growth of the SPBC and positively impact the Swiss agriculture and food system.
Key Responsibilities
- Support molecular plant breeding and resistance screenings towards biotic and abiotic stresses across multiple crops to drive breeding program success and increase genetic gain.
- Molecular Marker Development: Design cost-efficient markers and validation experiments with breeders to enable routine marker-assisted selection in breeding pipelines.
- Lab Infrastructure: Design and maintain efficient lab workflows, including scoping and acquiring specialized lab equipment.
- Lab Management and Reporting: Design and execute complex experiments, ensuring all protocols meet stringent quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) standards. Prepare detailed technical reports and standard operating procedures.
- Genomic Analysis: Perform high-throughput DNA extraction and sequencing (NGS), PCR, and genotyping analysis with fast turnarounds.
- Bioinformatics: Build and maintain automated bioinformatics pipelines for processing genomics data, including high-throughput genotyping (SNP Chips, KASP) and genome sequencing (targeted approaches, WGS, RNA-Seq), including creating genome assemblies.
- Stakeholder Engagement and Training: Engage effectively with stakeholders and provide training to others.
- Innovation: Stay at the forefront of genetic technology to improve internal methodologies.
- Decision Support: Translate complex genomic data into actionable insights for breeding decisions.
Who You Are
- You enjoy lab work and are passionate about developing and optimizing innovative methods and tools to solve practical scientific challenges in diverse plant species.
- You are an effective communicator, capable of interacting with a wide variety of stakeholders.
- You are motivated by applying new technologies and methods in practical breeding programs, understanding that publishing papers is not the primary focus of this role.
- You enjoy developing efficient lab processes and workflows that can be implemented routinely.
- You are open to sharing your expertise freely and collaboratively.
- You thrive in a small team environment where everyone supports each other.
Technical Requirements
- Education: PhD (or MSc with >6 years of experience) in Molecular Genetics, Molecular Biology, Molecular Plant Breeding, Bioinformatics, or a related field.
- Laboratory Management: Comprehensive knowledge of efficient laboratory workflows and the ability to coordinate lab equipment acquisition. Experience in good laboratory practices, lab information management software (LIMS), and leading team members in a laboratory setting.
- Genomics: Experience in generating sequencing libraries, genome assembly, alignment, and variant calling. Expertise in molecular cloning, primer design, and cell culture.
- Marker Design: Proven experience in designing genetic markers to facilitate marker-assisted selection for important traits.
- Scientific Computing: Proficient in R and high-performance computing (HPC), including Linux environments and cloud computing (AWS/GCP).
- Languages: Proficiency in English and either German or French.
The Swiss Plant Breeding Center (SPBC) is a newly founded, independent competence and innovation center for plant breeding in Switzerland, supported by the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). Its aim is to strengthen Swiss plant breeding and enhance breeding efficiency. The SPBC plays a crucial role in networking the players in breeding and research, transferring research results into practical breeding programs. It provides breeders with technical support, know-how, and expertise while actively participating in the planning and implementation of innovations. The SPBC aligns its services to customer needs, welcomes all crop types, cultivation systems, and methods, and is committed to acquiring customer and third-party funding.
Our core competencies include molecular genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, quantitative genetics, data analytics, trial design, breeding program design, and digital phenotyping. We focus on supporting breeding organizations in translating research results into routine applications.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.