Research Associate in Plant-Fungal Ecology

Employer: Imperial College London

Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain – England, Scotland, Wales

Sector: Biogeosciences (BG), Soil System Sciences (SSS)

Type: Full time

Level: Experienced

Preferred education: PhD

Posted: 8 October 2024

Closing Date: 8 November 2024

About the role:

The Waring Lab at the Silwood Park Campus of Imperial College London is seeking a community ecologist interested in field-testing 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 has two overarching goals: 1) to develop a lab-to-field pipeline for microbiome optimization in arable soils, focusing specifically on suppression of the take-all fungus, Gaeumannomyces tritici, in the wheat rhizosphere; and 2) to advance our fundamental understanding of microbial community dynamics in complex environments.

Your primary task will be to design and carry out a field experiment to explore how interactions among fungi and bacteria in the wheat rhizosphere promote (or suppress) wheat growth and resistance to G. tritici. You will manipulate these microbial communities through introduction of optimised, disease-suppressive inoculum already developed by our team. Throughout the field trial, you will link the processes of microbial community assembly and turnover to plant physiology, unlocking the potential of the soil microbiome to boost crop performance.

You will be assisted in this effort by a team of four PDRA s, two research technicians, and many post-graduate students across the five collaborating lab groups. You will also have the opportunity to supervise undergraduate and post-graduate student projects. Finally, you will be provided the resources to advance your own career through mentorship and professional development opportunities.

You will be expected to communicate the findings of your research through conference presentations and scientific publications. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to connect directly with farmers and other local stakeholders who are collaborating with our research group.

What we are looking for:

Essential criteria:

1. Hold, or near completion of, a PhD in environmental microbiology, plant pathology, soil science or related field.
2. Excellent scientific communication skills, as evidenced by presentations at scientific conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals.
3. Evidence of effective collaborative work in a team environment.
4. Experience with the basics of experimental design and statistical analysis (the latter in the R programming environment).
5. Demonstrated research experience in at least two of the following areas: Agronomy, Plant-fungal interactions, Plant pathology, Plant physiology, Soil biogeochemistry, Soil microbial ecology.
6. The capacity to conduct fieldwork under adverse conditions (hot, rainy, buggy, etc.).
7. Experience with the management/organisation of large datasets.
8. A valid driver’s licence (for traveling to/from field sites).

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 and a short ‘challenge question’ directly relevant to the role.

We anticipate holding interviews for these candidates in late November.

Should you require any further details on the role please contact Bonnie Waring at b.waring@imperial.ac.uk with ‘Green Microbiome PDRA’ in the subject line.