Postdoctoral Researcher

Contract: 24 months, full-time

Location: John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Penfield Group at the John Innes Centre, working on cutting-edge science in the field of Plant Reproductive Development.  

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 Penfield Group:

The Penfield Group uses plant genetics, genomics, molecular and cell biology to understand how plant reproductive development responds to variation in environmental temperature. We work with the model species Arabidopsis and Brassica crops to understand how weather and climate variation affect reproductive development crop yield and quality. We have a particular focus on the role of parent plants in environmental sensing and influence progeny seed development and behaviour, such as seed yield, dormancy and germination.

The role:

An opportunity has arisen for a postdoctoral researcher to join the group of Professor Steven Penfield, working to understand how parental genotypes influence the effect of temperature on seed dormancy and germination.

The successful post holder will use the latest molecular biology and genomics techniques to understand how parental influences on the physiology of the embryo-surrounding tissues affect seed behaviour.

The ideal candidate:

Candidates should have a PhD (full award or expected within 6 months) in plant molecular biology, with previous experience working in epigenetics and next generation sequencing approaches to gene function analysis.

Candidates should also have a strong understanding of plant reproductive development or epigenetics and a strong publication record, commensurate with experience.

Informal enquiries are welcome to Steven.penfield@jic.ac.uk.

The post is available for 2 years in the first instance with the possibility of further extension.

Additional information:

For further information and details of how to apply, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above or contact the Human Resources team on 01603 450814 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk quoting reference 1004770.

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.

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