Research & Development Assistant

**Our Mission**:
Oxitec’s mission is to save lives and improve livelihoods by developing safe, highly-effective biologically-engineered solutions to control disease-transmitting and crop-destroying insects globally.

To do our work, we leverage our world-class team of scientists, engineers, public health and agricultural experts, entrepreneurs, community engagement experts and others to build safe, targeted, sustainable and highly effective genetically modified insect technologies that can be applied in the fields of public health and food security.

We do our work with a commitment to safety, effectiveness, scientific integrity, and transparency, making Oxitec’s technologies one of the largest self-limiting insect platforms in the world. Oxitec’s technology has been studied and analyzed by independent researchers, academics and independent collaborators for more than a decade, with more than 100 scientific, peer-reviewed papers published on our work. You can find a sample of the growing body of scientific evidence here.

**Our History**:
Oxitec was formed in 2002 by Oxford University Innovation and, in 2015, was acquired by U.S.based Intrexon.

Since inception, Oxitec has pioneered work on controlling insects that spread disease and damage crops through world-class genetic engineering and the use of self-limiting gene technology. In the mid and late 2000s, Oxitec successfully deployed genetically engineered insects in select locations in the USA, Caribbean, South America, and has continued to grow these projects, expanding to new regions and countries.

In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a positive recommendation in support of Oxitec’s self-limiting mosquitoes (OX513A) for a planned pilot in response to the Zika virus outbreak. Oxitec continues to engage with communities around the world that are in need of effective, scalable solutions to combat the dangerous vectors that threaten lives and livelihoods.

Oxitec is a subsidiary of Intrexon Corporation ( NASDAQ: XON), which engineers biology to help solve some of the world’s biggest problems.

**About Us
We are a team of passionate individuals, developing ground-breaking biological technologies designed to sustainably, and safely, control insects that transmit diseases and destroy crops. We do this work to improve lives and livelihoods around the world in the face of the growing threats that insects pose to human health and the global food supply.

Whilst what we do relates to developing insect control technologies, Oxitec is about people and is in service to people.

We are strongly committed to a set of values, principles, and behaviours, which foster a culture of trust, respect, creativity, and accountability - and seek talented people who are deeply committed to our mission, values, and principles, and thrive in start-up like environments. Learn more here about our mission, values, and principles.

**Purpose of the job
We are looking for a motivated and passionate Research and Development Assistant. This is a great opportunity to work with a dedicated and enthusiastic team at an innovative insect control biotechnology company.

**Responsibilities
- Insect rearing for assembly and analysis of R&D studies.
- Assessment and set up of experiments.
- Accurate data recording.
- Maintenance of equipment and lab tools.
- Support other areas and teams.

**Key Qualifications and Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in Biology or Agronomy.
- Master’s degree is desirable.
- Intermediate English.
- Knowledge in Office package.
- Schedule flexibility (weekends and holidays).
- Experience working in an entomology laboratory.

**Behavioural Requirements
- Commitment to and passion for the Oxitec mission and values.
- Commitment to influencing rather than imposing, building trust, and always working with integrity.
- Positive, co-operative, and professional always.
- Proactive with excellent communication skills and strongly analytical minds.
- Demonstrated ability to be flexible.
- Work in collaboration with other cultures and different ways of thinking.
- Ability to report results.
- Creativity and innovation.