Iris – Group Leader BioScience

Bayer – a Company with a strong spirit of research

The BioScience Innovation Centre of Bayer CropScience, which carries out Phase 0 and Phase 1 research, is located in Ghent. Bayer positions itself as a strong company in the field of research & development. This has a direct effect on our position as research centre in plant biotechnology. We are actively assisted in our projects, which results in regular investments and a steady growth, and due to which we can carry out research in a professional manner (expert functions such as IP, Legal, BioAnalysis and BioInformation Management also assist us in our research).

This growth is not just restricted to Belgium because Bayer invests worldwide, creating opportunities and challenges for everyone within Bayer and therefore also within Research & Development.

Why Bayer?

Besides a competitive salary, working at Bayer also offers a pleasant environment to work in and numerous benefits which enable you to develop your career further. Moreover, there is a wide range of training available, both technical and for the optimisation of soft skills.

Life-long learning is more than just a fashionable term but a reality at Bayer BioScience. In addition, the matrix structure in which we work stimulates this exchange of information and knowledge. Here knowledge does not lead to power but makes the organisation grow. Furthermore, you are regularly invited to take part in training courses or make suggestions regarding your own development. The costs for participation in a course are usually borne entirely by Bayer.

At Bayer, there is a culture which encourages initiative and the ambition to grow. Throughout the year, people are invited to evaluate their individual ambitions and the value they are adding to the organisation. This process is characterised by the openness with which people can discuss this with their direct supervisors. Despite the importance of diplomas – typical for an environment in which research & development are central –there are no barriers between employees in the way they treat someone with a higher/lower diploma.

A day in the life of...

With my training to become an Agricultural Engineer (now ‘Bio-Engineer’) and about six years of experience as a Scientific Assistant on research projects, I started working at Bayer BioScience (then AgrEvo) in 1999. Within the Company, I have worked successively in various positions; I started as Researcher in a tissue culture laboratory, then I was responsible for the organisation of research experiments on coleseed in the greenhouse, and since the end of 2003 I have been a Team Leader for the Trait Testing competency for BioScience Research. This last position has already provided me with many development opportunities from which I have learnt a lot.

Research in BioScience is organised according to a matrix structure, where we combine the business dimension with the research operations. The business dimension consists of four Market Areas: vegetables, cotton, oilseed rape and rice. In research operations, the employees are organised into departments and groups, according to their competences. The Trait Testing competency group, for which I am responsible, evaluates desired traits under different growth conditions (greenhouse, plant growth room or field) and takes care of the up-scaling of plant material. We implement and improve plant evaluation techniques, using our expertise in plant biology and cultivation methods under controlled climate conditions.

The position of Team Leader is extremely varied and includes planning the required personnel and financial resources in line with the BioScience business strategy, ensuring maximum exploration of the competency area, task distribution among staff members, providing day-to-day leadership for the competency group and working out strategies together with the programme leaders for the start/acceleration/delay/completion of programmes, etc. This not only requires people management and project management but also a degree of pragmatism, a broad interest and continuous training in the field of science, R&D processes, HR and financial aspects.

Last change: Jun 22, 2009