Postdoctoral Researcher

An opportunity has arisen for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the newly appointed group of Dr Hassan Salem at the John Innes Centre in the Department of Molecular Microbiology. This post is funded by a European Research Council (ERC) grant.

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 Salem Group:

The Salem Group studies the evolution, function, and adaptive consequences of herbivore–microbe symbioses. Our research focuses on how extracellular bacterial symbionts upgrade host digestive physiology, enable dietary specialisation, thereby facilitating herbivory.

The Role:

The candidate will use comparative and population genomic approaches to reconstruct the origin, maintenance, and evolutionary consequences of symbiosis in beetles.

This role will include:
• Generating and analysing comparative and population genomic datasets across symbiotic and non-symbiotic beetle lineages.
• Performing phylogenomic reconstruction and divergence-time estimation to trace the origins of symbiotic associations.
• Applying macroevolutionary methods to test how symbiosis relates to diversification rates and ecological niche breadth.
• Analysing long-read host genome assemblies and symbiont genomes to characterise genomic signatures of symbiotic transitions.
• Applying molecular evolution approaches, such as selection analyses and ortholog identification, to identify genes and pathways shaped by symbiosis.
• Integrating genomic, ecological, and phylogenetic data to test hypotheses about symbiosis-driven diversification.
• Disseminating results through preprints, publications, conference presentations, and mentoring of students.

The Ideal Candidate:

You will have a PhD (or equivalent) in evolutionary genomics, population genetics, bioinformatics, or entomology, or a related discipline.

The successful candidate will have:
• Experience with comparative and/or population genomic analyses, including variant calling and phylogenomics.
• Proficiency in phylogenetic and phylogenomic software (e.g., IQ-TREE, RAxML, MrBayes, ASTRAL) and divergence-time estimation.
• Experience with macroevolutionary and diversification-rate analyses (e.g., BAMM, MEDUSA) is desirable.
• Strong programming skills (R and/or Python, Unix/Bash) for large-scale genomic data analysis.
• Experience handling long-read and short-read sequencing data, including genome assembly and annotation, is desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to develop independent, hypothesis-driven research in evolutionary genomics.

You will also have excellent communication skills, experience mentoring students or visitors, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.

Additional information:

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 1006175.

This role meets the criteria for a visa application, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Where the successful applicant requires a visa, we will fund the costs for their visa and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Please contact the Human Resources Team if you have any questions regarding your application or visa options.

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.