Plant Tissue Culture Technician

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

Work arrangement
No