The School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee is a world-class academic institution with a reputation for the excellence of its research, its high quality teaching and student experience, and the strong impact of its activities outside academia. With 900 staff from over 60 countries worldwide the School provides a multi-national, collegiate and diverse environment with st! ate-of-the-art laboratory, technology and teaching facilities.
We are seeking a talented scientist to investigate the contribution of the microbiota to plant’s resilience to climatic modification is available as a part of a collaborative effort between the groups of Dr Davide Bulgarelli and Dr Ingo Hein.
Our labs are part of the Horizon Europe Research Innovation Action ‘Root2Res’ which involves 22 organisations from across the whole of Europe. The project aims at gaining novel insights into molecular basis of root’s adaptation to the environment and leverage on these discoveries to sustainably enhance crop production.
Your priorities will include:
- Working as part of a team tasked to obtain metagenomic DNA from preparation from plant tissues and soil specimens
- Developing specific molecular probes targeting microbial genes, next generation sequencing library preparation
- in-silico analysis of microbiome datasets with high performance computers.
Who we are looking for:
- A PhD in plant sciences, molecular microbiology, host-microbiota interactions or related disciplines.
- Previous experience in generating amplicon sequencing libraries from microbiota preparations (e.g., roots, rhizosphere and soil)
- Previous experience in sequencing data analysis using programme languages (e.g., R, Pearl, Shell, Phyton…) and familiarity with the Linux environment.
- Excellent written and spoken English communication skills
- Capacity to work both independently and as part of a team.
In addition, having published scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals as a first author, experience in supervising undergraduate students as well as the participation in outreach initiatives will be considered a plus.
This post is initially for 12 months. Depending on performance and funding availability, the position can be extended beyond the initial appointment. The starting date is expected to be 1st April 2023 or shortly thereafter.
Appointment on the Grade 7 salary scale is dependent upon you having been awarded a PhD. An appointment may be considered if you are shortly expected to be awarded a PhD. The initial appointment would be made as a Research Assistant on the Training Grade 7 salary scale (Spinal Point 25 – 28).
Additional Information
The Bulgarelli’s lab https://lifesci.dundee.ac.uk/research/ps and the Heins’s lab https://www.lifesci.dundee.ac.uk/people/ingo-hein are part of the Division of Plant Sciences based at the James Hutton Institute https://www.hutton.ac.uk/ on the outskirt of Dundee and conveniently liked to the main campus and the city centre with public transport.
Applications document: Candidates should submit a cover letter and a CV with publication list and email addresses of three referees.
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