Research Associate for Transformation

Land O' Lakes Inc. is one of America's premiere member-owned cooperatives. They offer local cooperatives and agricultural producers across the nation an extensive line of agricultural supplies, as well as state-of-the-art production and business services. They also are a leading marketer of dairy-based food products for consumers, foodservice professionals and food manufacturers.

The Research Assistant will work in a state-of-the-art transformation lab and be focused on transformation of corn and sorghum. An important part of the job will be to develop transformation of several corn inbreds including proprietary inbreds not transformed before. Another part will be to quickly bring transformation methods into corn inbreds that do have a transformation history. The primary approach will be with Agrobacterium. Knowledge of cloning, gene expression analysis, crossing, genetics and greenhouse and growth chamber phenotyping will be valuable. The Research Assistant will support the Director of Transformation, and be able to apply very careful tissue culture skills and the “art” of transformation to an industrial setting and throughput, with the goal of generating large numbers of transgenic plants. Transgenic plants produced in this way will be handed off for field evaluation.

**Experience-Education (Required):** Bachelors degree in relevant field and 5+ years experience in monocot transformation in an industrial setting. Successful transformation of multiple monocot species including sorghum. **Competencies-Skills (Required):** The Research Assistant will possess the following skills. * **Tissue Culture Skills:** The Research Assistant will have very strong tissue culture skills, in each of the following: explant preparation and culture, embryo preparation and culture, maintenance and replacement of proliferating cell cultures, regeneration, rooting, sub-culturing. Strong sterile technique is essential. * **Transformation Skills:** The Research Associate will have a strong knowledge of, and experience in, agrobacterium transformation and gene gun transformation. He or she will also be highly skilled in the “art” of transformation. The Research Associate will have good understanding of experimental design, the use of statistical methods, and clear and careful eye for detail. * **Communication Skills:** The Research Associate will have strong interpersonal skills such that all involved feel free to communicate. He or she will be responsive to supervisors and managers. The Research Associate must be able to adapt quickly to change, such that if the outcome of one experiment is not that which is anticipated, he or she can learn and adjust to the new direction that is proposed. The job entails quick and independent processing of data and implementing changes. * **Compliance and Operational Performance Skills:** The Research Associate will ensure compliance with standard operating procedures for efficient business operations, and compliance with company standards and procedures across locations and lab and field activities. The successful candidate for the position of Research Associate will have some or all of the following experiences: * Large experience in agbiotech * Familiarity with multiple transformation procedures * Familiarity and success with transformation of multiple monocot species * Familiarity with transformation “at scale” and commercial event selection * Success with transformants in commercial product development piplelines * Experience in adapting transformation procedures in order to optimize * Comprehensive exposure to plant genetics * Exposure to a fast-paced and changing environment * Working as part of a group * Performing well under pressure * Responding to goals, deadlines and objectives * Multi-tasking and temporary re-tasking should circumstances require it **Experience-Education (Preferred):** Master's degree in relevant field