Senior Research Technician (107026-0223)

There is funding to appoint a Senior Research Technician on FA5 100% FTE for a maximum 6 months restricted to end by 31 December 2023; the duration may have to be shortened up to 4.5 months depending on the starting salary of the successful candidate. 36.5 hours per week.

This post is an exciting opportunity for a motivated and experienced research technician to utilise plant science and molecular biology skills in a new research project to develop resistance to Fusarium wilt disease in celery. The job requires a range of techniques and skills including culturing of Fusarium, inoculation of plants and assessment of disease symptoms in glasshouse-based plant bioassays as well as DNA extraction and PCR / RT-PCR for pathogen identification and detection. You will join an established research team working on a range of plant diseases based at the Wellesbourne Campus in a supportive research environment with excellent facilities.

This project is one of a number of BBSRC-funded 6-month partnerships that address crop pests and diseases in UK agriculture and horticulture and is a collaboration between Tozer Seeds, the University of Warwick and NIAB. The main aim of the research is to identify resistance to Fusarium wilt of celery caused by the soilborne plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. apii (FOA). The disease is a major problem for celery growers in the USA and China but is also a substantial threat to production in Europe and the UK. Tozer Seeds are a major celery breeder and seed producer worldwide and will provide plant material for resistance testing in the project. This will be done through FOA-inoculated plant bioassays to identify differences in disease levels between different celery accessions in the glasshouse using techniques developed at Warwick for other crops such as onion and lettuce. Experience with handling fungal plant pathogens and inoculating plants is therefore essential. In addition, following FOA genome sequencing and analysis at NIAB and Warwick, you will support work to develop improved PCR-based diagnostics for FOA.

The post represents a unique opportunity to work with both industry and academia on a major plant disease. Identifying resistance will help Tozer provide new celery varieties to mitigate the impact of FOA in the USA and protect future celery production in Europe and the UK while developing diagnostic tools will enhance biosecurity measures against this disease.

Further information can be obtained from john.clarkson@warwick.ac.uk.

Interview Date: TBC.

Full details of the duties and selection criteria for this role can be found in the vacancy advert on the University of Warwick's jobs pages. You will be routed to this when you click on the Apply button.

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