Training in Practical Wheat Breeding – DSV UK Ltd – Open until filled

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Name Training in Practical Wheat Breeding – DSV UK Ltd
Placement base location Wardington, Oxfordshire OX17 1FE, UK
Website www.dsv-uk.co.uk
Contact for enquiries

Dr Matt Kerton

Clare Moscrop
Contact details

Email:   matt.kerton@dsv-uk.co.uk 07825 322054

clare.moscrop@dsv-uk.co.uk
Placement job title Training in Practical Wheat Breeding
Potential start date Ideally, the placement would run for three months from mid-July to mid-October but there is flexibility in these dates and duration.
Potential working pattern Total hours per week: 35 hours
Details of application method
    • CV, cover letter including a  statement as to why this PIP is of interest to you
Application closing date Open until filled
Overview of PIPS organisation

Who is DSV UK?

A UK commercial plant breeding company with the parent company based in Germany. DSV UK is a leading international plant breeding and seed company that focuses on improving the genetic quality of crops to meet the global demand for food, feed, and renewable resources. The company operates in several sectors, including cereals, grass, and other crop breeding, providing innovative and sustainable seed solutions to farmers and growers worldwide.

 

What Does DSV UK do?

DSV UK is primarily involved in the breeding, production, and sale of high-quality seeds for wheat and grass.

Key focus areas include:

  1. Plant Breeding – Developing new plant varieties that are resilient, high-yielding, and suited to different growing conditions.
  2. Seed Production – Producing and supplying seeds for both commercial and small-scale farming.
  3. Agricultural Solutions – Offering farmers innovative solutions for crop management to optimize productivity and sustainability.

Why Work at DSV UK?

  1. Innovative Research – DSV UK is at the forefront of plant breeding technology, using cutting-edge research techniques and sustainable practices to develop new crop varieties. As a placement student, you may have the chance to be involved in and observe innovative research projects.
  2. Diverse Career Opportunities – The Company offers opportunities in various fields including plant breeding, genetics, agronomy, crop protection, and seed production. Students with a passion for agriculture and environmental sustainability can find meaningful, impactful career paths at DSV UK.
  3. Development and Learning – DSV UK values the growth of its employees, offering opportunities to learn and develop through hands-on work and mentoring from experienced professionals in the plant breeding and agricultural sectors.

International Exposure – DSV is a global company with operations around the world. Working in the UK office may give you exposure to the global agricultural industry and insights into how different markets and farming practices work internationally.
Placement offered

We offer a three-month placement at our plant breeding station where you will learn practical skills in wheat breeding. Tasks will involve collecting field data such as plant height, tiller number, disease observations and heading dates. At harvest, the placement student will be  involved in  collecting grain samples either by hand or on board the combines. Further activities will involve data entry and analysis. There might be opportunities to work with our marketing department at out-reach events. You would also be involved in maintenance breeding, looking at the DUS (Distinct, Uniform, Stable)  characters of our wheat lines in more detail.

DSV UK hosts a Designing Sustainable Wheat (DSW) yield trial as well as DSW disease observation plots. You will be able to monitor this material to gain an insight into how DSW germplasm feeds into a commercial breeding programme.

Regular one to one ‘check-ins’ with the wheat breeding team will give the placement student the opportunity to ask any questions and dive deeper into the processes and breeding goals of the wheat programme.

We are a small team so you will be given the opportunity to be an integral part of the team, gaining valuable skills in teamwork, communication, logistics and data collection.

You will also be given the opportunity to attend one of the wheat genetic improvement network (WGIN) management meetings attended by UK academics involved in wheat resource development and providing novel traits for wheat improvement,  by UK commercial breeders based in different companies as well as representatives from the AHDB, ADAS and defra.

No Specific work experience is required but an enthusiasm and curiosity for the sector will help you get the most out of this placement.

You will be an important part of our operations in the quick turn over from harvest to drilling the seed back into fields; skills we value are teamwork, organisation, problem solving and attention to detail.

Some of work will be physical including days hand harvesting, field scoring and preparing seed so a level of fitness is required.
We will fund in-house costs and reimburse the student of any out of pocket expenses related to the placement business.