Research Associate in Plant-Fungal Ecology
Silwood Park Campus
About the role
The Waring lab at the Silwood Park Campus of Imperial College London is seeking a community ecologist who would like to field test a new approach to suppressing the pathogens of one of the world's most important staple crops, wheat We aim to achieve this through the manipulation of the extant soil microbiome. The two main objectives for the project are: 1) to create a lab-to-field pipeline for microbiome optimization in arable soils, focusing in particular on suppression of the take-all fungus, Gaeumannomyces in the wheat rhizosphere; and 2) to make fundamental breakthroughs in our understanding of microbial community dynamics in complex environments. This project is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between the Pawar, Ransome, Graystock, and Bell labs.
This means you would be working across disciplines, collaborating with the other laboratories to advance the central research question for this project.
Main aim: Field experiments: Design and carry out a field experiment investigating how interactions between fungi and bacteria in the wheat rhizosphere promote (or suppress) wheat growth and resistance to G. You will manipulate these microbial communities through the introduction of optimized, disease-suppressive inoculum already developed by our team. You will use this field trial to link processes in microbial community assembly and turnover to plant physiology, thereby unlocking the potential of the soil microbiome to enhance crop performance. The experiment will develop practical methods to deliver disease-suppressive inoculum and monitor its establishment.
This effort will be supported by a team of four PDRAs, two research technicians, and many post-graduate students across the five collaborating lab groups, working on the lab optimization of the disease-suppressing inoculum, molecular and culture-based studies of microbial physiology, and computational modeling to understand and predict the dynamics of microbial communities. Working closely together, this team has the potential to significantly advance our capability to manage complex microbiomes in pursuit of more sustainable agriculture.
.jpg)
What we are looking for:
Critical criteria:
PhD, near completion or in hand in environmental microbiology, plant pathology, soil science, or a closely related field, or closely related discipline
Exceptional scientific communication skills, demonstrated by presentations at scientific conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Evidence for the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team
Experience in the principles of experimental design and statistical analysis (latter within the context of the R programming language)
Research experience in two or more of the following fields, though it would not be feasible for any candidate to have experience in all of them:
Agronomy
Plant-fungal interactions
Plant pathology
Plant physiology
Soil biogeochemistry
Soil microbial ecology
The ability to conduct fieldwork in challenging conditions (hot, wet, buggy, etc.) - and all fieldwork for this study will be undertaken in the UK
A full, current driving license - to get to/from field sites
Further Details
Applicants whose PhD award is pending will be appointed at the grade of Research Assistant.
How to Apply
Applicants should include a CV, together with a cover letter not more than two pages in length outlining why they are applying and what they believe to be particular strengths relevant to this position.
Long-listed candidates will be asked to participate in a Belbin Profile (free login will be offered) and a short 'challenge question' of direct relevance to the role.
We anticipate interviewing these candidates towards the end of November.
If you would like more information about the role, please contact:
Bonnie Waring at b.waring@imperial.ac.uk using 'Green Microbiome PDRA' in the subject header.
FAQ
.png)
0 Comments
If there is any doubt, he can ask me