Postdoctoral Researcher

Salary:                £35,300 - £43,750 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. 
Contract:           3 years, full time
Location:           John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK. 
Closing date:   19 December 2023
Reference:        1004567

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Sablowski Group at the John Innes Centre, working on cutting-edge science in the field of Cell and Developmental Biology. 

About the John Innes Centre:

The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant and microbial sciences. We nurture a creative, curiosity-led approach to answering fundamental questions in bioscience, and translate that knowledge into societal benefits. Our strategic vision, Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet, sets out our ambitious long-term goals for the game changing impact of our science globally. 

Our employees enjoy access to state-of-the-art technology and a diverse range of specialist training opportunities, including support for leadership and management. Click here to find out more about working at the John Innes Centre.

About the Sablowski Group:
The Sablowski lab works on the genetics and cell biology of meristem and early organ development in the model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana. The team is relatively small (6-7 members), collaborative and led by a supervisor who is active at the bench. Reflecting the quality of their research and training, a large fraction of the postdocs who worked in the team moved up to long-term research positions in academia or industry.

Recent work in the group has focused on the genetic control of cell size. From bacteria to humans, cell size is important for many processes, including exchange of nutrients and signals, cell division and the function of specialized cells. However, how cells achieve and maintain their genetically controlled size has been a longstanding mystery. The Sablowski team has recently shown that in meristem cells, DNA content is used as a reference to adjust cell cycle progression to cell size (doi:10.1126/science.abb4348).

The aims of the next phase of this project include identifying protein-chromatin interactions at the core of the cell size control mechanism, revealing how cell size control is linked to cell fate decisions, testing whether the mechanism explains why cell size correlates with genome size, and whether cell size control has been re-calibrated during the evolution of polyploid plants.

The role:

This position will focus on how cell fate is coordinated with cell size during sporogenesis. Within this broad aim, the post holder will design, execute, and interpret experiments to test hypotheses, then propose and test their own hypotheses, informed by results.

The ideal candidate:

You will have a PhD (full award or expected within 6 months) or equivalent in molecular biology, cell biology or a related discipline. The ideal candidate will have a rigorous, analytical, and creative mind, passion for curiosity-driven science and research experience in cell biology and/or developmental genetics. Proficiency in molecular biology is essential; experience in advanced bioimaging and Arabidopsis genetics will be advantageous.

Additional information:

Interviews are expected to be held in early February 2024.

For further information and details of how to apply, please visit our website http://jobs.jic.ac.uk or contact the Human Resources team on 01603 450814 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk quoting reference 1004567.

We are an equal opportunities employer, actively supporting inclusivity and diversity.  As a Disability Confident organisation, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy. We are proud to hold a prestigious Gold Athena SWAN award in recognition of our inclusive culture, commitment and good practices towards advancing of gender equality. We offer an exciting, stimulating, diverse research environment and actively promote a family friendly workplace. The Institute is also a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme.

The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852) grant-aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.