Research Associate (Molecular Plant Pathology)

Job description:

Are you an ambitious molecular plant pathology excited by the challenge of understanding how plants remember and adapt to environmental stress? We have an exciting opportunity for a talented Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the Plant Environmental Signalling Lab at the University of Sheffield. This is a five-year full-time position funded by the European Research Council (ERC Advanced Grant PlantMemo. You will become part of the ERC-funded research team, led by Professor Jurriaan Ton, which explores how plants integrate environmental experiences into long-term plant defence memory.

The ERC PlantMemo project investigates how plants establish and maintain stress memory upon recovery from biotic stress to enhance their resistance against recurrent attacks. Using state-of-the-art molecular, epigenomic, and phenotyping approaches, we aim to uncover how this stress memory is encoded in the plant’s epigenome and microbiome to improve resistance to pests and diseases. In this role, you will take a leading part in developing and implementing innovative experiments to dissect the mechanisms of plant stress memory. You will work closely within a multidisciplinary research team involving three senior scientists, a senior technician, and three PhD students.

Applicants must hold a PhD in plant molecular plant pathology or epigenetics, along with experience in the experimental design of plant-microbe interactions (or have equivalent relevant experience) Experience in the analysis of next-generation sequencing data, including RNA-sequencing and methylome data (WGBS or Nanopore-seq) and demonstrable analytical, computational, and statistical skills for high-throughput data analysis are also essential.

You will join the Plant Environmental Signalling Lab within the School of Biosciences, which includes one of the UK’s leading research clusters in plant-biotic interactions research. This offers an inclusive and collaborative research environment with access to state-of-the-art growth environments, imaging and genomics platforms, and high-performance computing resources.

The role offers an excellent opportunity to grow as an independent scientist. You will lead your own lines of investigation, contribute to the supervision of students, and collaborate internationally. The position includes funding for professional development, conference participation, and international research exchanges through the ERC programme.

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university. We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pension scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more at sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits and join us to become part of something special.

We are committed to exploring flexible working arrangements that benefit both the individual and the University. We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles from across the world, whose talents and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching, and student experience.

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