Post-doctoral Research Associate

Full Time: 35 hours per week

Fixed term: Starts 01 November 2026 (duration 3.5 years)

The Opportunity:

Where passion meets purpose. Be part of something bigger.

The University of Edinburgh is a world-class organisation. We look for the best in the field across all disciplines and provide a working environment where academics can develop their careers and passion for their chosen subject area. This is an exciting opportunity to join an internationally collaborative research group at The Roslin Institute, one of the world's leading centres for animal science research, and to play a central role in a project with real global impact.

As a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the group of Dr Laura Glendinning, you will be at the forefront of efforts to tackle one of the most pressing sustainability challenges facing agriculture: how to feed a growing global demand for poultry products without compromising environmental or economic sustainability. With global poultry consumption projected to double by 2050, the need for innovative, science-led solutions has never been greater.

This BBSRC-funded project takes a novel approach to this challenge, harnessing the power of the gut microbiota to enhance chickens' ability to digest high-fibre, low-cost feeds. You will lead the bioinformatic analysis and integration of cutting-edge multi-omic datasets to unpick the complex microbial mechanisms that underpin fibre fermentation in the chicken gut. You will also take the lead on constructing in silico models of microbial communities, work that could ultimately paving the way for future targeted probiotic interventions in commercial and smallholder poultry farming.

You will also contribute to poultry trials and sample collection, and will have the unique opportunity to travel to Ethiopia to coordinate trials exploring how microbiota transplants can benefit chicken breeds raised by smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries. This international dimension gives the project a distinctive relevance, with findings that could improve livelihoods and food security on a global scale

You will also have the opportunity to share this science with broader audiences through public engagement activities in collaboration with The Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre, helping to communicate the significance of microbiome research to the next generation of scientists and the wider public.

If you are a researcher with a desire to apply your skills to challenges that matter, from commercial poultry farms to smallholder flocks in Sub-Saharan Africa, we would love to hear from you. Informal enquiries should be made to Dr Laura Glendinning (Laura.glendinning@roslin.ed.ac.uk).

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle: 

• Opportunities to develop new skills and broaden your experience
• Leading-edge research 
• Opportunities for publication 
• Responsibility and autonomy 

This post is full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working. 

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