Research Associate/Research Assistant - Plant Microbial Interactions

at  University of Cambridge

Applications are invited for a Post-doctoral Research Associate/Assistant position in the group of Dr Sebastian Schornack (www.schornacklab.net, twitter: @dromius) at the Sainsbury Laboratory (SLCU), Cambridge University, to study plant cell and developmental processes underpinning microbial colonisation.
Our lab studies how evolutionarily conserved plant cell & development processes shape interactions with beneficial and detrimental intracellular filamentous microbes and how microbes modulate such processes.
For this advertised project position, we are looking for a plant cell biologist with a strong interest in the model system Marchantia and comparative studies with flowering plants.
The aim of the project is to understand plant processes for barrier formation, cell- and tissue function etc which enable or restrict detrimental and beneficial filamentous microbes. The plant immune system or microbiological work with the microbe are not the focus of this study.
This research will build upon and expand on our research in Marchantia liverworts and vascular plants. As the successful candidate you will study Marchantia-microbe interactions and compare to processes in vascular plants. You will explore tissue and developmental context specific mechanisms and the underlying plant proteins to study the phenotypic consequences for plant microbe interactions and plant development. You will receive horticultural/technical assistance and will be able to collaborate with postdocs studying other aspects of plant-microbe interactions, plant cell biology and plant development. You will also benefit from established colonisation and imaging protocols, transgenic microbial and plant lines expressing reporter proteins.
You must have or be close to finishing a PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g., plant cell biology, plant development, plant-microbe interactions with a focus on plant processes, or related fields). Previous experience in plant cell biology or plant development is essential and experience in histology or plant cell wall biology is of advantage. Proficiency in standard molecular cloning (Gateway, GoldenGate) and quantitative PCR and RNAseq analysis is also required.
You will be fully involved in the research whilst also writing up your research work for presentation and publication. You may be required to assist in the supervision of student projects and deliver seminars relating to your research area.
Good communication skills are required because you will be working in a team and collaborating with other researchers at the institute as well as a larger, international team of researchers. You should ideally have published (including preprints on sites like Biorxiv) in the field of plant biology. You should have a track record of science communication (e.g., presentations, outreach activities, teaching).
The Laboratory provides a welcoming and collaborative environment with a wide-range of family-friendly benefits and development opportunities and is well connected to other plant research institutes such as the Department of Plant Sciences and the Crop Science Centre. More about the Sainsbury Laboratory, generic further information for the role and details of what the University offers to employees, can be found at: http://www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/.
It is critical that you include a motivational letter with your application, stating your future research interests and how they may align with the advertised project. If you have any questions, please contact Sebastian Schornack (via email or Twitter DM).
Where a PhD has yet to be awarded the appointment will initially be made at Research Assistant level and amended to Research Associate upon the award of PhD.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2.5 years in the first instance.
Click the ‘Apply’ button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Scientific enquiries should be directed to Dr Sebastian Schornack, sebastian.schornack@slcu.cam.ac.uk.
For questions regarding the application process, please email HR@slcu.cam.ac.uk.
Please quote reference PT41826 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK

Please refer the Job description for details