Senior Scientist Fresh Food Metabolism Palmerston North, New Zealand Vacancy number: 57379 Minimum guaranteed hours: 38 per week Our Fresh Food Metabolism science team is seeking a dynamic and forward-thinking Senior Postharvest Scientist to drive innovation within our Postharvest Fresh Foods (PFF) group.
This role requires spearheading the development and application of advanced technologies and methodologies to solve postharvest challenges including fruit storage disorders and poor shelf life.
Based in Palmerston North, the scientist will collaborate closely with PFF teams at Havelock North and Auckland sites, providing genetic and 'omics' capabilities to produce cutting-edge solutions for storage, quality preservation, and senescence of fruit including apple, kiwifruit, kiwiberry, avocados, and tomatoes.
The scientist will have a crucial role in securing both internal and external funding by writing and leading successful grant applications.
They will instigate high-impact international research collaborations, ensuring sustained innovation and growth in the team's research capabilities.
What you will be doing | Nga whainga matua You will play a key role in driving innovation across our postharvest research sites in Auckland, Havelock North, and Palmerston North.
You'll collaborate with leading scientists to expand and enhance the molecular techniques used in tackling applied postharvest quality and disorder challenges.
Your expertise and innovation will directly contribute to advancing the group's analysis capabilities and delivering impactful solutions for the industry.
As a key member of the Fresh Food Metabolism team your focus will be to: Provide scientific and technical leadership in the use of transcriptomics, epigenetics, and 3D genomics as well as non-destructive analysis, e.g., NIR to drive world-leading innovation in the postharvest space.
Foster a high-performance collegial science culture with a strong focus on delivering outputs, outcomes and impacts to our internal and external clients and collaborators.
Bolster and deepen the collaborative synergies among the four PFF teams to position them at the forefront of global postharvest science.
What you will bring | Nga tino pukenga me nga wheako To be successful in this role, you will have: A PhD in a postharvest-related area, or metabolomics or transcriptomics or biochemistry, and at least 10 years practical experience in developing solutions to drive postharvest innovation (preferred).
Strong data science/data handling skills, and ability to work with large complex datasets.
Curiosity and creativity and take pride in delivering high quality outcomes.
At least four years' experience in research design, method development and quantitative data and statistical analysis, data integration and presentation of results (verbal and written).
Ability to work in interdisciplinary teams.
Skilled in organizing work schedules to meet established deadlines.
What you will get | Nga hua o tenei turanga The opportunity to work within a friendly, team-based environment that encourages and supports work-life balance, and to contribute to exciting projects with an organisation which has an excellent reputation for its science and for being a great place to work!
At PFR, we offer excellent employee benefits and flexibility, such as: Additional 7 days' leave and generous paid parental leave Excellent benefit choices in retirement savings and wellbeing & health Focus on health and wellbeing with enhanced sick leave Ongoing career development opportunities Flexible work - work from home and flexible hours About us | Ko wai matou At Plant & Food Research, Rangahau Ahumara Kai, we believe science can create a better future.
By finding smarter, greener options today, we're helping secure the world we want to live in tomorrow.
With our partners, we use world-leading science and technology to improve the way they grow, fish, harvest, create, prepare and share kai.
We have 1000 people working across Aotearoa New Zealand and the world to help develop and deliver healthy foods from the world's most sustainable food systems.
We are on our journey towards becoming a meaningful and trusted partner to Maori, promoting the weaving of Matauranga Maori and science to create growth and success for all of Aotearoa, New Zealand.
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