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