Fungicides Category Lead

GreenLight Biosciences is seeking an exceptional, highly motivated scientific leader to apply industry leading RNA technology to Crop Protection. The Fungicides Category Lead reports to the Vice President of Research within the Plant Health organization and will be responsible for defining and executing the technical strategy for discovery, early phase validation and mode of action studies for the biological Fungicides portfolio at GreenLight Biosciences.  Strong technical, organizational, and communication skills, as well as the ability to develop creative solutions to challenging problems in a fast-paced milestone-driven company are essential.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate as a member of the Plant Health Discovery Leadership Team to:
  • Develop and execute a strategy to discover and develop novel biofungicides and associated mode of action (MOA) studies to enhance product development
  • Identify and evaluate new technologies for in-licensing or acquisition
  • Source and secure external research or testing collaborations
  • Expand GreenLight research capabilities through innovation
  • Allocate resources and troubleshoot challenges across the Plant Health Discovery organization to ensure achievement of key goals and milestones
• Establish and drive achievement of Fungicide Category goals to define and advance successful product concepts from ideation through early pre-development
• Lead the Fungicide Category team with responsibility for all personnel, project milestones and budgeting
• Seek, direct and actively participate in internal and third-party research projects required for novel biofungicide discovery product proof-of-concept, including target selection, design of active RNA trigger molecules, in vitro assay development, and mode of action
• Serve as a subject matter expert in fungi/oomycete biology for agriculturally important plant pathosystems
• Contribute to the company’s intellectual property portfolio through innovative approaches to RNA based biofungicide development
• Mentor, coach, challenge and develop team members to reach their full potential
• Represent GreenLight at investor and scientific meetings and conferences as required
• As a GreenLight scientific leader, model, support and deliver on corporate values, objectives and goals
• Foster an inclusive work environment that embraces and derives value from diversity, teamwork and sharing
• Ensure safe laboratory operations and a safety-focused work culture

Requirements: 

• A Ph.D. in plant pathology, mycology, plant biology or related field with substantial experience in the areas of fungicide discovery screening, in vitro / in vivo assay development, and data analysis
• Minimum 10 years of diversified fungi/oomycete research experience with 3-5 years of experience leading people/teams in an industrial early phase research environment
• Personal track record of impactful scientific publications and/or patent authorship leading to intellectual property capture from novel scientific outcomes
• Current knowledge and understanding of the relevant academic research literature, leading laboratories in the field and the agricultural crop protection industry, especially in fungicide discovery and RNA-based control of fungal/oomycete pathogens
• Experience in effectively managing people, projects and teams with appropriate attention to detail and communication of project progress, deviations and results to stakeholders in a clear and timely fashion
• Strong people, project and program management skills
• Strong analytical, problem solving, planning and organizational skills
• Experience in the following areas provides a distinct advantage:
  • Establishing research programs for diverse fungal/oomycete pathogens
  • Fungicide Mode of Action
  • Fungal genetics, functional genomics and bioinformatics
  • Use of RNA to control fungi/oomycetes and molecular assays to validate
  • Leading diverse teams to successful outcomes