Research Associate in Plant / Soil Microbial Ecology

Location: Silwood Park Campus

About the role:

The Graystock Lab at the Silwood Park Campus of Imperial College London is seeking a microbial ecologist interested in pioneering a new approach towards suppressing the pathogens of one of the world’s most important staple crops, wheat (T. aestivum). We aim to do this through manipulation of the extant soil microbiome.

The project aims to:

1. optimise/engineer soil microbiomes to aid the suppression of the take-all fungus, Gaeumannomyces tritci, in the wheat rhizosphere; &
2. to advance our fundamental understanding of microbial community dynamics in complex environments. This project represents a multi-disciplinary collaboration among the Pawar, Ransome, Waring and Bell labs.

Through directed artificial selection, we will develop soil microbiomes that exhibit suppression of take-all disease in the greenhouse setting. Working in climate-controlled growth facilities and with the assistance of a laboratory technician, you will lead the development of a soil microbiome to reduce disease virulence and improve crop yield. With the assistance of bioinformaticians and mathematicians within the wider group you will identify the microbial taxa and/or metabolic networks which most strongly influence crop performance.

What you would be doing:

Your primary task will be to design and carry out lab/CE-room experiments to explore ways to manipulate and optimise soil microbiomes to promote wheat growth and/or suppress resistance to G. tritici. You will work as part of a diversly skilled collaboration, all based at the Silwood Park campus of Imperial College London and working on this system and overarching goal to develop a sustainable strategy to control take-all disease in wheat. The experiment will also involve some exploration into the use of robotics and spectral analysis in assessing crop health.

What we are looking for:

Essential criteria:

• Hold, or near completion of, a PhD in a relevant field
• Excellent scientific communication skills, as evidenced by presentations at scientific conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Evidence of effective collaborative work in a team environment
• Experience with the basics of experimental design and statistical analysis (the latter in the R programming environment)
• Demonstrated research experience in at least two of the following areas (no candidate is expected to have expertise in all of them):
  • Microbiome engineering
  • Plant-fungal interactions
  • Plant pathology
  • Soil microbial ecology
  • Agronomy
• Experience with the management/organisation of large datasets

What we can offer you:

• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
• Grow your career: Gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression
• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year and generous pension schemes).

Further Information

Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant.

Applicants should provide a CV and a cover letter (two pages maximum) explaining their qualifications for the role.

Long-listed candidates will be contacted to complete a Belbin Profile (a free login will be provided) and a short ‘challenge question’ directly relevant to the role. We anticipate holding interviews for these candidates in early December.

Should you require any further details on the role please contact:

Peter Graystock at p.graystck@imperial.ac.uk with ‘Green Microbiome PDRA’ in the subject line.

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