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Plant Transformation Intern

West Lafayette, IN

About Inari...

Inari is the SEEDesign™ company, using new breeding technology to push the boundaries of what is possible by designing nature-positive seeds for a more sustainable food system. A combination of AI-powered predictive design and a cutting-edge multiplex gene editing toolbox enables Inari to unlock the full potential of seed and advance critical solutions with broad applications for growing more food with fewer resources. This includes products that will generate greater yields while using significantly less land, water and other inputs.

Our success is dependent on great minds, collaborating to generate bright ideas and deliver exceptional outcomes.

We have over 300 employees, with research sites in Cambridge, MA (USA) and Ghent (Belgium), as well as a product development site in West Lafayette, IN (USA). We’ve deliberately built a team that brings diversity of thought to all aspects of our business, to generate new ideas, approaches, and ways of operating. And we've intentionally combined experience with potential, bringing agriculture industry experts with the desire to innovate together with bright minds from academia, human therapeutics, software, and consulting. If you want to be part of a diverse and inclusive team developing unique solutions to feed the world while protecting our planet’s natural resources, we’d love to hear from you!

ABOUT THE ROLE....

We are seeking a dynamic and self-motivated Plant Transformation Intern to join our fast-growing, collaborative Product Development Team. As a summer intern in the plant transformation lab, you will play a key role in optimizing and advancing our plant genome editing technology. Your responsibilities will include setting up experiments, collecting and entering data, analyzing results, and presenting your conclusions. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with multiple teams working across our technology platform, gaining valuable exposure to various aspects of our research and development efforts. This internship is based at our transformation lab facility in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The ideal candidate is an advanced undergraduate or graduate student with a strong academic background in plant biology.

 

AS A PLANT TRANSFORMATION AND GENOME EDITING INTERN YOU WILL…

  • Support the genome editing production pipeline by optimizing plant transformation, tissue culture, and editing protocols to increase overall scale and efficiency.
  • Perform plant genome editing experiments in a commercially relevant crop using established production protocols.
  • Work with other Scientists and Research Associates to design experiments, analyze results, and present findings
  • Initiate and maintain in vitro plant cultures in a high throughput setting.
  • Work with scientists and research associates across the product development platform to implement solutions in a multi-disciplinary context.
  • Maintain a clean working environment for plant tissue culture experiments.
  • Perform operations tasks as needed daily to keep the transformation lab running smoothly.
  • Maintain detailed and organized records of work, project data, and other information as needed in an electronic lab notebook and database.
  • Write and present a final report on your main project to the department

 

You Bring…

  • Degree focus in Plant Biology or Genetics
  • Preference is for an advanced undergraduate or graduate student with some relevant lab experience
  • Experience with aseptic technique in laminar flow or bio-containment hoods
  • Experience with plant tissue or bacterial cell cultures
  • Ability to maintain a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail
  • Excellent planning, organization and execution skills
  • Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively as a team member
  • Show initiative, have good judgment and be willing to take on additional tasks and responsibilities as needed to achieve goals and deliverables.
  • Positive attitude and good interpersonal skills
  • Flexibility, adaptability, and ability to challenge status quo in a constructive manner
  • Proficiency with learning new software for electronic record keeping
  • Ability to work creatively and efficiently in a fast-paced environment
  • Strong communication skills, both written and oral
  • Energy, self-motivation, ownership and focused execution
  • Curiosity, desire to continuously learn and have a meaningful impact
  • A collaborative approach, open to giving and receiving ideas, perspectives, and feedback

Bonus Qualifications...

  • Experience with Agrobacterium-mediated or biolistics based plant transformation methods.
  • Experience with CRISPR based genome editing systems.

 

 

 

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