The posting
We are seeking an experienced Plant Tissue Culture Technician responsible for the laboratory-based propagation of rare, endangered, difficult-to-propagate, and high-value plant species using tissue culture and micropropagation techniques.
The role will support living plant collections, plant conservation programmes, and specialised in-vitro propagation activities. The successful candidate will establish and maintain sterile laboratory conditions, prepare culture media, initiate and maintain plant cultures, monitor plant development, and support the acclimatisation of tissue-cultured plants.
Key Responsibilities
- Propagate rare, endangered, difficult-to-propagate, and high-value plant species using tissue culture and micropropagation techniques.
- Initiate, establish, multiply, root, and maintain in-vitro plant cultures according to species-specific protocols.
- Select and prepare suitable explant material for tissue culture initiation.
- Perform surface sterilisation and maintain strict aseptic techniques to minimise contamination.
- Prepare and modify plant tissue culture media, including nutrients, vitamins, plant growth regulators, carbohydrates, and gelling agents.
- Monitor cultures for growth, development, contamination, physiological abnormalities, and overall performance.
- Conduct routine subculturing and transfer plant material under sterile conditions.
- Maintain appropriate temperature, photoperiod, light intensity, and other environmental conditions for tissue cultures.
- Operate, clean, sterilise, and maintain laboratory equipment including autoclaves, laminar-flow cabinets, growth chambers, balances, pH meters, and microscopes.
- Monitor equipment performance and coordinate maintenance and calibration requirements.
- Implement laboratory cleaning, sterilisation, contamination-control, and waste-management procedures.
- Identify sources of microbial contamination and implement corrective and preventive measures.
- Support the transfer and acclimatisation of tissue-cultured plants from in-vitro to ex-vitro conditions.
- Develop, refine, document, and standardise tissue culture protocols for priority plant species.
- Maintain detailed records covering explant sources, media formulations, culture dates, subcultures, treatments, contamination rates, multiplication rates, rooting success, and plant survival.
- Maintain laboratory inventories of culture media components, consumables, chemicals, glassware, and sterile materials.
- Support plant conservation and recovery programmes for endangered, threatened, rare, and difficult-to-propagate species.
- Assist with research and trials aimed at improving propagation success.
- Provide practical training and technical guidance to staff, interns, and students.
- Ensure laboratory activities comply with applicable health, safety, chemical handling, biological material, biosecurity, and laboratory operating requirements.
Requirements
- Degree in Biology, Plant Biology, Botany, Biotechnology, Plant Sciences, Horticulture, or a related field.
- Formal training in plant tissue culture, micropropagation, plant biotechnology, or related laboratory techniques is preferred.
- Minimum 5+ years of relevant laboratory experience involving plant tissue culture and micropropagation.
- Demonstrated practical experience in culture initiation, multiplication, subculturing, rooting, and culture maintenance.
- Experience propagating rare, endangered, difficult-to-propagate, or high-value plant species is highly desirable.
- Strong practical experience in explant selection, preparation, surface sterilisation, and aseptic handling.
- Demonstrated experience preparing and modifying plant tissue culture media and working with plant growth regulators.
- Extensive experience maintaining sterile laboratory conditions and controlling contamination.
- Hands-on experience operating autoclaves, laminar-flow cabinets, growth chambers, pH meters, balances, microscopes, and related laboratory equipment.
- Experience identifying and troubleshooting contamination, culture decline, abnormal growth, poor multiplication, and rooting problems.
- Experience monitoring environmental conditions for in-vitro cultures.
- Experience with hardening and acclimatisation of tissue-cultured plants to greenhouse or nursery environments.
- Experience developing, testing, refining, or documenting species-specific micropropagation protocols.
- Strong laboratory record-keeping, data-management, inventory-management, and technical documentation skills.
- Experience supporting plant conservation, ex-situ conservation, or endangered species propagation projects is preferred.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with botanists, horticulturists, researchers, conservation specialists, and academic institutions.
- Demonstrated ability to train staff, interns, students, or laboratory personnel in tissue culture techniques.
- Strong troubleshooting, analytical, observational, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to perform laboratory procedures consistently and precisely.
- Previous experience in a botanic garden, plant tissue culture laboratory, research institution, university, conservation facility, commercial micropropagation laboratory, or comparable plant-science environment is preferred
