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This is an exciting opportunity to join the Seed Collections Team at the Millennium Seed Bank, Wakehurst. The post will support the team’s work in testing conditions and success rates of new and existing seed collections. This is an important aspect of Kew’s exciting initiative to secure, research, and make available, seed collections from the world’s most important and threatened species.
The role
You will join the Seed Collections Team and will support the aims of the of the collection by investigating germination behaviour of living seed collections held at the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB). In particular, by carrying out viability testing and recording the data for collection management and research use.
About you
You will be educated to BSc Degree level (or equivalent) in a relevant subject, or have the equivalent experience. After a period of training, you will be able to work independently to prioritise workflows and maintain the throughput of processes, particularly germination testing used to monitor viability. The position will be required to work in a laboratory setting with basic laboratory skills (including dissection and microscope work) being necessary. As are good manual dexterity skills and having meticulous attention to detail. Laboratory work will also include working in a dry atmosphere (for limited periods) and moving material in and out of -20°C freezers and ultra-cold cryo-vessels, sometimes using step ladders.
You will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills as the role has a significant team working and collaboration requirement - working with a range of Kew staff, partners, volunteers and students. Good familiarity with MS Office (including Word, Excel, Teams and PowerPoint) is also required, as is previous experience of working in a science laboratory environment.
This is a fixed term appointment, finishing on 31 st August 2026.
Interviews will be held in September.
About us
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) is a leading plant science institute, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and major visitor attraction. Our mission is to understand and protect plants and fungi for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth.
We are working to end the unprecedented extinction crisis and to help create a world where nature is protected, valued by all and managed sustainably. We will achieve these goals by drawing on our leading scientific research, unrivalled collections of plants and fungi, global network of partners, inspirational gardens at Kew and Wakehurst, and our 260 years of history.
Our fantastic benefits package includes opportunities for continuous learning, a generous annual leave entitlement, flexible working to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance, an Employee Assistance Programme and other wellbeing support such as cycle to work scheme and discounted gym membership. We also offer a competitive pension, an employee discount scheme and free entry into a wide range of national museums and galleries, as well as access to our own beautiful gardens at Kew and Wakehurst.
We are dedicated to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to interview disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
