POST DOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN GENOMICS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

We are seeking an enthusiastic individual to join a new project as part of the Defra funded Centre for Forest Protection. Many countries are rapidly accelerating their national afforestation programmes, but to deliver productive and resilient woodlands, stakeholders require tools to predict which genotypes will perform well under current and future climates. Our approach centres on the innovative use of historic tree-ring trait timeseries to test genomic predictions of climate maladaptation on fitness traits. Trees’ longevity and the dendrochronological record of growth laid down in woody tissue means that each individual tree retains a record of genotype-environment interactions at a high temporal resolution. By examining tree rings (including numerous traits beyond just ring-width), thousands of discrete climate-growth interactions can be exploited to understand how multiple genotypes respond to unique combinations of climatic and site conditions. Joining a vibrant research group at Kew, and collaborating with the climate modelling and dendrochronology teams at Forest Research, this post will play a central role in developing the bioinformatic tools to integrate genomic, climate and dendrochronological datasets. Our aim is to reliably estimate the ecological and economic added value of selecting optimal genotypes i.e. the right tree in the right place.
Hours of work
Full time
Contract Type
Fixed Term (FTA)
Contract start date
Provisionally 1 August 2025
Contract end date
31 March 2028
Salary
£43,751 per annum [Band D]
Directorate
Science
Location
Kew Gardens, Richmond, Hybrid
Closing Date
05/06/2025

Documents

• 16396 Employee benefits–RBG Kew 2024 v6[90].pdf(PDF, 279.26kb)
• Job Profile.pdf(PDF, 145.01kb)

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