Join Us as a Founder in Residence in Agriculture We're on the lookout for entrepreneurial individuals with technical and commercial domain expertise with keen interest in founding, and building a global scale, impact driven, high growth company from ground up.We are seeking applications from experienced industry, startup and/or new science or engineering based technology development professionals from anywhere in the world, eager to achieve the high-level outcome of halving the time necessary to identify commercially viable crop varieties .You'll work closely with the DSV team to co-found and spin-out a new company.Once the new venture is incorporated with pre-seed investment from DSV, you and your co-founders will own the majority stake in the business, and continue receiving support from the DSV team post-spinout.The role is full-time, initially remote (can work from anywhere) with possible relocation once the new venture is incorporated.The Opportunity The global population will surge to over 9 billion by 2050, and we will need a 70% increase in food production to adequately feed this future global population [ 1 ][ 2 ].Crops are essential to meet this need; 55% of the world's crop calories are consumed directly by humans, and another 36% is used for animal feed [ 3 ].Crop breeding has been a primary driver of food security due to the selection of superior cultivars that meet caloric, nutritional, and productivity metrics.However, the acceleration of climate change threatens cultivar selection efficiency since new biotic and abiotic stresses emerge without warning; thus, there is a critical need to accelerate how we breed for future crops.Conventional and advanced plant breeding technologies have helped alleviate yield losses due to climate change, such as drought and pest resistance.However, even in the era of advanced breeding and precise genetic engineering, these technologies have yet to achieve the full potential of crops because fundamental challenges remain unaddressed.To this end, this opportunity area seeks to reduce the seed-to-seed generation time by at least 10X through novel florigenesis induction technologies.References [1] https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1116437108 [2] https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-02/apo-nid274256.pdf [3] https://www.vox.com/2014/8/21/6053187/cropland-map-food-fuel-animal-feed Our Approach We are pioneering an approach that disrupts traditional plant breeding methods by focusing on the molecular mechanisms of florogenesis.Current speed breeding techniques significantly reduce the time required for crops to flower but are constrained by environmental queue interventions becoming limited to the biology of crops.We aim to delve deeper, targeting the underexplored "florigen" factors—genetic and hormonal pathways that govern flower development.The opportunity lies in leveraging transcription factors and hormonal interplay to induce rapid and efficient gametogenesis, irrespective of environmental conditions.This new frontier in plant physiology and molecular biology will usher in a new era of crop variety development that will enable agriculture to be ahead of sudden pressures associated with climate change.Requirements Who Should Apply Most suitable candidates will likely meet multiple of the following criteria: PhD or equivalent industry R&D know-how with in-depth knowledge of state-of-the-art (SOTA) technologies and constraints focused on plant physiology (particularly in flowering induction), plant maturation and age signalling, plant tissue culture (particularly in organogenesis), protoplast regeneration, plant hormone treatments, plant cell culture for pharmaceutical compound production, fertilisation, seed development or related topics; Deep understanding of the molecular signals and environmental cues necessary for an apical meristem to become a floral meristem is crucial; Experience in establishing molecular and tissue culture protocols in non-model organisms is preferred; Experience working with and developing transient genetic delivery systems in plants is highly desired; Familiarity with machine learning and AI techniques to solve complex biological problems, particularly in areas such as protein-protein/protein-DNA interaction modeling, plant phenotype prediction, optimization of plant growth conditions, plant breeding and selection strategies or related topics; Familiarity with data-centric approaches in biology, including but not limited to, bioinformatics, computational modeling, and high-throughput data analysis related to proteomics, genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics; Industry-specific know-how and commercial knowledge (e.g.forming strategic partnerships, agricultural value chains, procurement, etc.)especially with experience engaging directly with farmers and agribusiness; Proven track record of innovation, preferably with experience in startup ecosystems and fundraising; Strong entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to translate scientific discoveries into commercial opportunities, ideally with experience conducting techno-economic analyses and market assessments; Experience of working in a leadership role, applying project management and collaborative skills with colleagues across different teams; Exceptional command of English, with proficiency in additional languages such as Spanish, being advantageous for key markets like tropical agriculture; Flexibility and willingness to engage in travel or relocation, given the venture's focus on regions with strategic relevance for tropical and subtropical agriculture, like Costa Rica.Benefits Our Offer By joining DSV, you will be part of a team of operators who have founded companies and led the translation of science at some of the most respected universities, charities, funds, and government agencies.Here's what we offer: Access to optimised, purpose-built, proprietary tools, resources, and processes to help create high-impact ventures from scratch; Opportunity area-specific know-how from our network of Partners and Advisors; Up to £250k in investment to incorporate the new venture and develop early proof-of-concept data; Guaranteed income of £4,166 per month paid as a consultancy fee until the company is launched and the pre-seed investment is secured; Majority equity stake in the new company for you and your co-founders; Continuous post-spinout support, including fundraising, commercial partnerships, recruitment, and team-building; Collaborative support from dozens of Founders currently at DSV across sectors.About DSV Deep Science Ventures is creating a future in which both humans and the planet can thrive.We use our unique venture creation process to create, spin-out and invest into science companies, combining available scientific knowledge and founder-type scientists into high-impact ventures.We operate in 4 sectors: Pharmaceuticals, Climate, Agriculture and Computation, tackling the challenges defining those areas by taking a first principles approach and partnering with leading institutions.
