Postdoctoral Research Associate / Fellow

Postdoctoral Research Associate/Fellow in Evolutionary Genomics

This NERC Large Grant-funded full-time post is available from 1st October 2026 on a permanent contract which is subject to funding ending. 
 
The starting salary will be from £36,636 to £39,906 on Grade E for the Postdoctoral Research Associate level and from £43,482 to £48,822 on Grade F for the Postdoctoral Research Fellow level, depending on knowledge, skills and experience.

The Role  

We wish to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate / Fellow for a NERC Large Grant-funded project that will investigate how host genetic variation shapes –and is shaped by– host-pathogen interactions. The project uses a unique bovine tuberculosis (bTB) – European badger (Meles meles) study system, with extraordinary long-term monitoring data, including longitudinal infection, life history, behavioural, physiological and fitness data, alongside medium-coverage whole genome re-sequencing data for over 2,500 individuals spanning 50 years. The successful candidate will lead bioinformatic and evolutionary and molecular quantitative genetics analyses to:

• Understand how genetic variation shapes bTB susceptibility, disease progression and onward transmission.
• Determine how inbreeding and gene flow modulate disease dynamics.
• Quantify how bTB has shaped the evolutionary trajectories of the badger population over the past 50 years.
• Test evolutionary hypotheses for the maintenance of genetic variation in disease susceptibility in the host population (e.g. resistance-reproduction trade-offs, fluctuating selection).

About You

Postdoctoral Research Associate:

The successful applicant will possess a PhD (or nearing completion) or equivalent qualification/experience in evolutionary genomics, molecular quantitative genetics, molecular ecology or a related field. They will possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. They will have excellent quantitative skills and bioinformatics skills within the context of -omics datasets, and a strong interest in eco-evolutionary questions in general, and host-pathogen interactions in particular. They are expected to develop research objectives, perform data analysis, write up results for publication, give presentations at conferences and other events, supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students, identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds. They are a team player capable of working independently and have excellent organisational and time management ability.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow:

The successful applicant will possess a PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in evolutionary genomics, molecular quantitative genetics, molecular ecology, or a related field, with a broad knowledge in the discipline. They will possess sufficient specialist knowledge to develop research programmes and methodologies. They will have excellent quantitative skills and bioinformatics skills within the context of -omics datasets, and a strong interest in eco-evolutionary questions in general, and host-pathogen interactions in particular. They are expected to develop research objectives, perform data analysis, write up results for publication, give presentations at conferences and other events, supervise the work of others, identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds. They are a team player capable of working independently, have excellent organisational and time management ability, and act as team leader as required.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role. 

Further information

Please contact Dr Barbara Tschirren, b.tschirren@exeter.ac.uk
 
If you are considering applying and need support to do so, please get in touch with us at hrhelpdesk@exeter.ac.uk. You can request reasonable adjustments within your application or by contacting us.

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