Principal Scientist - Resistance Research

Company Description

As a world market leader in crop protection, we help farmers to counter these threats and ensure enough safe, nutritious, affordable food for all – while minimizing the use of land and other agricultural inputs. Syngenta Crop Protection keeps plants safe from planting to harvesting.  From the moment a seed is planted through to harvest, crops need to be protected from weeds, insects and diseases as well as droughts and floods, heat and cold. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Switzerland. 

Health Promotion Switzerland recognizes Syngenta's commitment to the health and well-being of its employees and awards the "Friendly Work Space" label to all its Swiss sites. At Syngenta, employee health and well-being are key to the company. 

Job Description

Role purpose:

We are seeking an enthusiastic, innovative and dedicated Principal Scientist to join our Resistance Research Group. In this dynamic role, you will specialise in molecular resistance characterisation and advanced genomics, driving technological innovation and data integration as a scientific leader. Leveraging your expertise in NGS and bioinformatics workflows, you will advance metagenomics and comparative genomics research, facilitating cross-functional collaboration between molecular and computational teams. You will also foster internal and external partnerships to enhance research capabilities in multicultural environments. Your work will be instrumental in the diagnosis and characterisation of resistance, enabling the development of innovative resistance management solutions. This position offers excellent opportunities to develop your leadership skills further and take on increasing responsibilities within the team as you progress in the role. You will contribute to vital agricultural science research while developing your expertise in a world-class research environment. Your dedication and creativity will be instrumental in addressing one of the most pressing challenges in modern agriculture and helping to ensure food security.

Accountabilities:

• Expert with solid knowledge of bioinformatics and molecular diagnostics. Will provide expertise and support in the areas of experimental design, data generation (e.g. next generation sequencing), data analysis and data storage for resistance research. Able to improve the efficiency and productivity of handling and migrating data between existing platforms.
• Curious and open-minded about exploring new molecular tools and bioinformatics approaches to enhance data generation and FAIR data integration.
• Support and innovate the import, management and curation of existing data flow processes across indications, including interaction with third parties. 
• Develop data visualisation solutions for new Crop Protection R&D requests and needs across indications.
• Increase the internal capacity of NGS platforms using tools aimed at analysing and organising sequencing data in support of the global Resistance Management network.
• Steer business-driven synergies across indications to explore new data analysis approaches and innovations in data generation.
• Previous experience and a proven track record in training and mentoring colleagues in molecular diagnostics, bioinformatics and project and stakeholder management.
• Initiate the development and implementation of novel methodologies, enhancing data handling to improve team efficiency in molecular diagnostics, data integration, and visualisation using common environments (e.g. Benchling, Databricks, and Microsoft Fabric).
• Maintain and develop network interactions with the Resistance Research team and the Crop Protection Bioinformatics Platform to explore innovative science and technology.
• Investigate opportunities for external collaborations regarding the development and implementation of new technologies to enhance resistance research and diagnostics.

As project manager/lead for resistance research projects:

• Synthesise data and results to inform senior management and external stakeholders about progress and outcomes. Excellent scientific writing and presentation skills are required.
• Provide timely and relevant input to resistance research and data strategy. Focus particularly on identifying drivers that challenge, change and positively impact the future of resistance monitoring.
• Perform work in alignment with HSE policies and agreed standards in SOPs and bespoke protocols.
• Publish scientific papers and conference proceedings on resistance research and associated methodologies, including molecular assays and bioinformatics tools/pipelines, as agreed and deemed appropriate by the Group Lead and Scientific Experts.

Qualifications

What are we looking for:

• PhD in biology, agricultural science or a related field, with eight or more years of professional experience.
• Strong background and years of experience in digitalisation, bioinformatics, data analysis, visualisation, scientific writing, statistics and relevant software such as R/Python.
• Proven research leadership and project management skills. Independently progressed multiple scientific projects with an impact on the portfolio in one or more areas of expertise.
• Solid expertise in molecular biology, genetics, molecular diagnostics, and assay development.
• Expert in next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics: Metagenomics, transcriptomics (gene expression analysis), de novo genome and transcriptome assembly, gene annotation, comparative genomics, phylogenetic analyses and genotyping.
• Passion for innovation and proactive problem solving.
• Openness and eagerness to learn and contribute more every day. Understanding of mutuality and valuing good personal relationships as keys to success.
• Effective communication, organisational and teamwork skills.
• Fluency in English is essential; knowledge of German is advantageous.

Additional Information

What we offer:

• A unique opportunity to work with our world-class resistance research group within the world's crop protection market leader Syngenta.
• Flexibility and the opportunity to build experience in diverse aspects of resistant pests, which is a major real-world challenge.
• Opportunities to develop leadership skills and take on increasing responsibilities at Syngenta.
• Competitive income, numerous benefits, and development opportunities aligned with your interests.
• Flexible working hours.

About Syngenta:

Syngenta is a leading science-based agtech company dedicated to realising the potential of plants. Our 28,000 employees, working across more than 90 countries, are tackling one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity: producing more food with fewer resources. We believe that a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace are essential to achieving our ambition of being the most collaborative and trusted team in agriculture. Our employees reflect the diversity of our customers, the markets in which we operate and the communities we serve. No matter what your role, you will play a vital part in feeding the world safely and taking care of our planet. Join us and help shape the future of agriculture.

Syngenta is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, training, promotion or any other employment practice on the basis of race, colour, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

We look forward to receiving your online application, including all relevant documents (cover letter and CV).