Bioinformatician / Machine Learning Engineer

We’re looking for a Bioinformatics Data Scientist / Machine Learning Engineer to join a well-funded, fast-paced Oxford University spin-out working from state-of-the-art molecular biology labs and office at Milton Park, Oxfordshire.

Wild plants have had half a billion years to evolve natural solutions for thriving in almost every environment on Earth. Our proprietary genetics platform harnesses these wild innovations to enhance the world’s most important crops. Wild-enhanced crops would simultaneously boost farm yields and promote gigaton-scale carbon mitigation strategies. If you’re looking for a start-up that has enormous potential for impact on growers, consumers, and the planet, please read on.

We are seeking a talented and experienced bioinformatician / Data Scientist / Machine Learning Engineer to join our team and take our machine learning capabilities to the next level. As part of our small and dynamic team, you will have varied bioinformatic responsibilities, with a core focus on developing our machine learning platform. We’re looking for someone who is driven, curious, and excited to work on cutting edge R&D projects. We offer a competitive compensation package and are building an environment where you would be enabled to creatively problem solve, default to action to create positive change, and be part of a team where teamwork and employee growth and wellbeing is front and centre.

Bioinformatician / Machine Learning Engineer

Salary: £DOE + Excellent Benefits (

Location: Milton Park (Hybrid / On-site 3 days a week including Mondays & Fridays)

What You Will Be Doing

• Developing and implementing machine learning algorithms and models to analyse large datasets and derive meaningful insights for crop trait development.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to integrate machine learning capabilities into our existing trait discovery workflows and pipelines.
• Stay up to date with the latest advancements in machine learning and bioinformatics tools, databases, and software packages.
• Communicate research questions, methodologies, and results to both expert and non-expert stakeholders effectively.
  
  

What Qualities You Bring To The Table

• PhD (or Masters) in computational biology, bioinformatics, data science, or a related field where data science and applied statistics are applied to large datasets.
• Proficiency in programming languages, with strong expertise in Python and/or R.
• In-depth theoretical knowledge of the latest methods and applications for machine learning approaches.
• Strong familiarity with bioinformatics tools, databases, and software packages.
• Proficiency in statistical and machine learning packages in Python and/or R (e.g., Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Caret).
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Excellent communication skills for effectively conveying research questions and results.
  
  

Nice To Have

• 3+ years of experience in academia or industry using applied statistics and machine learning tools for multiomic dataset analysis.
• Demonstrable contributions to the field using machine learning through publications or GitHub projects and a proven track record of technical leadership on R&D projects.
• Knowledge of graph machine learning methods, including graph neural networks.
• Knowledge of linear algebra and calculus for data science and machine learning.
• Experience working in an early-stage start-up.
• Experience working in plant science.
  
  

To thrive with us, you will:

• Be a team player in a multi-disciplinary environment, building relationships, and gaining trust from others through honesty, compassion, and authenticity.
• Have a curious and courageous mindset, enjoy stepping up to try new things in a changing environment, and taking initiative where there is often ambiguity.
• Approach solving difficult and complex problems head on, working from first principles, and collaborating as a team to re-think problems and learn from both successes and failures.
• Want to seek out new opportunities to develop, share learnings with others, and strive to support others in their own development and growth.
  
  

Please apply with an up to date CV for consideration and we will contact you with further information.