Pre-Breeder Cucumber, Watermelon and Melon (Quantitative Genetics)
Our client is a tropical vegetable seed business who has their global IHQ based in Thailand. They're looking for a crop-specific researcher responsible for developing new traits and technologies to enhance the effectiveness and speed of a commercial breeding program. This role combines deep scientific expertise in quantitative plant genetics, predictive breeding, and data analytics with practical breeding applications, particularly focused on cucumber, watermelon and melon product innovation. Your work will directly power scientific discovery to make an impact to the livelihood of millions of smallholder farmers world-wide.
Responsibilities:
Responsibilities:
- Lead pre-breeding to introgress key traits from wild/exotic germplasm
- Develop and validate molecular markers and genomic tools for trait discovery
- Drive crop-specific research projects aligned with trait strategies
- Collaborate with Crop Breeding Managers to define and execute trait strategies
- Integrate advanced technologies (phenotyping, environmental modeling) into trials
- Evaluate and enrich diverse germplasm to strengthen breeding pipelines
- Facilitate germplasm exchange and knowledge sharing globally
- Oversee pre-breeding trials, ensuring data quality and experimental standards
- Supervise and train technical staff and field teams for trial execution
- Analyze large-scale genotypic, phenotypic, and environmental data for selection
- Apply genomic prediction and machine learning to improve breeding accuracy
- Represent the program at internal reviews, conferences, and global collaborations
- PhD in plant breeding, genetics, applied genomics, or MSc with ≥3 years relevant experience
- Strong foundation in quantitative genetics, genomic selection, and modern breeding methods
- Proficiency in R, Python, or similar platforms for data analysis and predictive modeling
- Experience with large-scale data, machine learning, and statistical modeling
- Familiarity with high-throughput phenotyping, NGS, and marker-assisted selection
- Demonstrated project management and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication, able to translate complex science into actionable insights
- Collaborative, adaptable, purpose-driven, and motivated to deliver impactful outcomes
