Research Assistant (Crop Variety Screening and Development)

About the role

The Agriculture Research and Innovation Centre is hiring a Research Assistant to work on crop variety screening and development. The role covers R&D on green leafy vegetables grown in controlled environments, climate-room experiments, biochemical analysis, data analysis and procurement.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct R&D activities on green leafy vegetable growth and development under controlled environment.
• Assist in crop variety screening and run climate-room experiments to evaluate variety growth and develop heat-tolerant Amaranthus varieties.
• Plan and prepare plant samples for biochemical analyses investigating the mechanisms of heat tolerance.
• Analyse data and help prepare tables and figures for project reports and updates.
• Carry out procurement, including liaising with vendors, sourcing materials and equipment, coordinating testing and submitting purchase requests.
• Coordinate with industry partners and collaborators to plan and run farm trials, including data collection.

Required profile

• Relevant qualification in Plant Science, Life Science, Biotechnology or a related field.
• At least 2 years of experience in plant science, with specialization in plant biotechnology, plant breeding, plant physiology or controlled environment agriculture.
• Prior experience growing and maintaining plants in hydroponics or substrate for urban or commercial farming is favourable.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to build working relationships at all levels.