Life at Earlham Institute
We believe that our people are our greatest asset, and we want you to have the freedom to achieve your very best work here.
Applications are invited for a Computational Biologist (KTP Associate) to join the group of Prof Anthony Hall at the Earlham Institute (EI), in partnership with Chris O’Grady at Syngenta. This role will be based primarily at Syngenta’s Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre (Bracknell, Berkshire), with regular interaction and visits to the Earlham Institute (Norwich).
Background:
Earlham Institute is a vibrant research institute with deep expertise in genomics technologies and bioinformatics, delivering programmes that support food security, advance industrial biotechnology, and improve human health and wellbeing.
Syngenta’s Crop Protection Bioscience function contributes to the innovation of safe crop protection solutions through a deep understanding of biology. This detailed understanding of mode of action, resistance and bioprocessing is used to enhance product performance and sustainability. We collect a wide range of data across Bioscience and our digital teams employ a combination of advanced analytical techniques, including statistical, and machine learning models to support data-driven decision making.
A large component of the work is the support of design of complex experiments, the integration of heterogenous data sources, and the knowledge extraction.
If you are passionate about delivering computational solutions that will help Syngenta create products which can feed the world sustainably, we have the job for you.
This UKRI Innovate UK–funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Syngenta and EI will build in-house capability to apply genomic large language models (gLLMs)—foundation models trained on DNA sequence—to predict and understand target-site and non-target site resistance mechanisms.
As part of this position, the post holder will:
- Develop and embed gLLM workflows with the Syngenta team, including establishing robust pipelines on HPC infrastructure and supporting internal reuse.
- Curate and build benchmarking datasets (initially using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system), defining evaluation metrics and establishing standards for model comparison.
- Benchmark and fine-tune gLLMs, comparing zero-shot and fine-tuned approaches for tasks such as evolutionary constraint scoring and expression prediction, then testing transferability to an “unseen” related species.
- Apply the approach to priority weed genomes.
- Deliver knowledge transfer, including hands-on technical workshops for Syngenta/Earlham bioinformaticians, clear documentation/protocols, and contributions to reports and manuscripts.
- Gain commercial exposure by engaging with stakeholders across Syngenta, supporting translation of computational outputs into decision-making and R&D impact.
A personal training and development plan (including KTP modules) is an integral part of the role. With a personal training budget of £2000 a year.
Additional information:
Salary on appointment will be within the range £45,000 to £48,000 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full-time post for a contract of 24 months.
Interviews are planned for late June.
This role meets the criteria for a visa application, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Please contact the Human Resources Team if you have any questions regarding your application or visa options.
As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.
The closing date for applications will be 12 June 2026.
