Priority Leader

Job Description

3 vacanciesFixed Term (FTA) 5 yearsRBG Kew is seeking to hire three new Priority Leaders, each responsible for driving our scientific agenda within a major area of research in accordance with our Science Strategy. Each Priority Leader will define, establish and deliver major initiatives within their priority area; manage 4-8 research teams (collectively comprising up to 60 staff) assigned to their priority; and participate in RBG Kews senior scientific leadership team. They will contribute to the overall direction of RBG Kews scientific work, and nurture a culture of excellence, innovation and openness within their team and across the organisation.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.Join us on our journey as protectors of the worlds plants and fungi. We are looking for individuals who are passionate about combating biodiversity loss, protecting ecosystems and promoting the sustainable and equitable use of plants and fungi - and bursting with ideas about how to deliver this. RBG Kew has unique assets - around 350 scientific staff, unparalleled scientific collections, active projects in more than 100 countries, and, through our gardens and reputation, an outstanding platform for communicating with society at large. Our Priority Leaders will mobilise these assets to maximise our scientific, environmental and societal impact, encouraging the development of our staff and shaping their ideas into a coherent programme of action and research. Successful candidates will have outstanding scientific research credentials and a proven ability to deliver high-quality projects. Their work will be internationally recognised in their field of expertise, which must be of direct relevance to RBG Kews mission and Scientific Priorities. They will have experience of leading a team of researchers, and of contributing to the wider leadership of their own organisations. They will ideally have a strong track record of interacting with governmental and non-governmental organisations, including, but not limited to, funding agencies, corporations, research infrastructures, and policymaking bodies. They will moreover have a strong track record of winning funding through competitive applications and a broad understanding of the science funding landscape. As almost all our work is delivered in collaboration with others, they will have a history of fostering and sustaining partnerships, both in the UK and overseas.The three Scientific Priorities for which we are seeking leaders are defined in our Science Strategy, as follows: Unlocking Properties Plants and fungi hold the key to addressing many of the challenges facing the natural world. But there is still much we do not know about the properties that have enabled them to survive in the environment. Understanding these traits, how they have evolved and how they function, will enable us to better conserve these species, both within and outside their natural range or habitat, and to identify species and molecules we can use sustainably and equitably for the benefit of humankind.RBG Kews collections, particularly the Seed Collection at the Millennium Seed Bank and the Living Collections at Kew and Wakehurst, provide a priceless reserve we can mine to drive this process of discovery, taking into account access and benefit agreements associated with the Nagoya Protocol, related legislation and best practice. The exploration of biodiversity offers a wealth of opportunities for improving human health and well-being, and may provide new solutions for sustainable development. Digital Revolution RBG Kew holds a globally unique, substantial and growing collection of fungal and plant data and databases that store information on specimens, names, taxonomy, images, traits, distributions, phylogenies, phenology, germination and conservation. Yet our collections still hold vast quantities of uncaptured data from physical specimens, their labels and their DNA. The large-scale digitisation of specimens and integration of systems will release this information, helped by new innovative online tools for data retrieval, analysis and visualisation. This digital revolution will facilitate more efficient curation and management, while increasing the global value and use of the collections by scientists and the wider public. Digitisation and digital innovation will allow virtual repatriation of specimen images and data to countries of origin, while unleashing new opportunities for large-scale data mining and analysis for scientific discovery and innovation. Accelerated Taxonomy Taxonomy is the science of naming, identifying and classifying living organisms. It is the bedrock for the scientific study of life: any research involving living organisms needs a taxonomic point of reference and it is therefore hugely important to the global scientific community, yet in need of increased resource and focus. Taxonomy has been the backbone of RBG Kews scientific research throughout our history, and our collections and taxonomic experts are essential to the processes of discovering, describing and conserving biodiversity. Drawing on increased data availability and new tools and technologies, including phylogenomics and machine learning, we will push the frontiers of taxonomic research to accelerate the characterisation and identification of species in near real-time and develop methods for speeding up the discovery of hidden diversity in natural history collections. Our focus will be on taxonomic groups and regions where progress is most needed, and our outputs will include monographs, online tools and other resources tailored to the specific needs of our stakeholders.Please state in your application form which priority you are interested in applying for. 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 access to our own beautiful gardens at Kew and Wakehurst.If you are interested in one of these positions, please visit our website for more information and to apply.Closing Date: 13/06/2021.Interviews to be he