Iain Place
Plant Biologist with experience in project management and delivering the needs of clients. Keenly interested in sustainable food production systems, but also open to other opportunities.
Aberdeenshire, UK
iain@iainplace.com
LinkedInSkills
Communication
Project management
Research and development
Team working
Work Experience
Lead Horticulturalist, Waterside Pharmaceuticals
Jul 2023 - Aug 2025
Led the day to day operations in the facility, organising activities as needed by the production cycle and delegating tasks to team members where required.
Contributed to the development of a quality management system by creating standard operating procedures encompassing the entire production process to the standards required by pharmaceutical manufacturing standards (GxP).
Designed and performed routine crop monitoring procedures, making and recording observations of plant development and environmental conditions, documenting and troubleshooting deviations where they occur.
Visited potential suppliers to perform quality assurance audits, ensuring that patient safety was not compromised by the equipment or consumables used on site.
Plant Scientist, Vertegrow
Nov 2021 - Jul 2023
Managed operations in a the first commercial vertical farming facility in Scotland, designed schedules for sowing, moving and harvesting a wide range of highly perishable products.
Developed crop production cycles and optimised our growing methods to meet the demand of restaurants and wholesalers for high quality microgreens.
Performed and reviewed crop trials to improve performance and profit margins, for example by experimenting with recyled growing media additives I increased the yield of fresh basil by 45% without increasing the cost of production.
Worked closely with customers to identify gaps in the market and used this information to drive product development.
Education
PhD, Biological Sciences, Aberystwyth University
2016 - 2021
Thesis title: Characterisation of a new source of self-compatibility in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and its utilisation in forage grass breeding.
Led a multi-stage research project over the course of four years resulting in the development of resources for use in commercial breeding efforts.
Built effective relationships across an international research team and our commercial sponsor, Deutsche Saatveredelung AG.
Presented our research findings at a variety of conferences with audiences ranging from specialist academics to the general public through oral presentations and poster sessions.
MSc, Integrated Pest Management, Harper Adams University
2015 - 2016
Thesis title: An investigation into the resistance capabilities of lettuce cultivars against the feeding behaviour of the peach potato aphid (Myzus persicae).
Studied the scientific and legislative challenges faced by food production systems regarding sustainable pest, disease and weed control.
Learned about the impacts of conventional agricultural practices on the environment along with how these might be mitigated.
Performed a number of laboratory and field based assignments, including a final project monitoring aphid pest activity on different varieties on lettuce to identify a source of pest resistance.
BSc, Plant Science, The University of Manchester
2010 - 2014
Dissertation title: The role of metacaspase proteins in inducing programmed cell death in plants in response to intense UV radiation.
Studied a range of topics relating to plant biology from biochemistry to genetics and ecology.
Carried out research projects both in laboratory and field enviroments, including Majorca and the Amazon Rainforest.
Specifically focused on plant responses to stress and how improving our understanding of these could increase resilience in agriculture, which culminated in studying how plants respond to UV stress in my final year disseration project.
Served on the committee of a popular student botanical society, specifically organising its volunteer work efforts.
Volunteer work
Ellon Community Allotments
2024 - Present
Have helped a community allotment project to get up and running through assisting with fundraising efforts alongside setting up a website and email server for them.
Organised and led teaching sessions for new gardeners on topics such as composting.
Aberystwyth Conservation Volunteers
2016 - 2021
Served on the committee for a multiple award winning student conservation society for several years.
Arranged event days and managed volunteers on those sessions, provided training with equipment and first aid where required.
Performed health and safety risk assessments for a variety of activities at different locations.
The University of Manchester Botanical Gardens
2011 - 2014
Managed volunteer activities as part of my duties to the botanical society, ran weekly hands on volunteer sessions to maintain and improve the grounds and glasshouse collections.
Ran guided tours for the general public in order to raise the profile of the site.
Advertised public events in order to improve turnout via social media and in person.