Applications are invited for a Senior Postdoctoral Research Scientist to join the Laboratory of Professor John Wain in the Microbes in the Food Chain Programme at the Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB).

Background:

The Quadram Institute is a new interdisciplinary research institute at the forefront of a new era in food and health research. Its mission is to understand how food and the gut microbiota are linked to the promotion of health and the prevention of disease.

The Quadram Institute is looking to reduce the problems caused by microbes in the food chain by delivering an enhanced understanding of the ecology, evolution and survival strategies of pathogens in the food chain, including the drivers of antimicrobial resistance, to improve human health.

The role:

This role involves delivering an ambitious 6 month focussed laboratory research project identifying optimal bacterial strains able to grow on food waste substrates by quantifying their polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) yield potentials.

The postholder will communicate their findings to project partners and disseminate them through presentations and reports to various audiences. They will also effectively manage external analytical and consultancy services as required for the project.

The ideal candidate:

Candidates should possess a PhD in a biological subject. They should also possess experience in using transposon mutagenesis for investigating bacterial growth. Bioinformatics skills are essential, as well as experience of successfully planning, conducting and analysing scientific experiments.

Excellent interpersonal and communications skills are essential, as this post will involve close collaboration with a variety of parties. Candidates should have excellent report writing skills and the ability to work well independently to tight deadlines.

Additional information:

Salary on appointment will be within the range £39,150 to £47,850 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.  This is a fulltime post for a period of 6 months.

Further information and details of how to apply can be found here, or contact the Human Resources team on 01603 450462 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk  quoting reference 1003519.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sectors of society.  The Institute supports equality of opportunity within the workplace and expects all employees to share and display these values.  To support our commitment, we have a range of family, faith and diversity friendly working arrangements to help all staff achieve excellence in their area of work.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.