Post-doctoral Research Associate - Microbial Manipulation of Plant Processes

University of Cambridge - Sainsbury Laboratory

Applications are invited for a Post-doctoral Research Associate position in the group of Professor Sebastian Schornack at the Sainsbury Laboratory (SLCU), Cambridge University. The aim of the project is to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which microbial effector proteins non-immunologically manipulate plant cellular and developmental processes to facilitate colonisation.

The Schornack group (www.schornacklab.net) studies how plant processes shape interactions with beneficial and detrimental intracellular filamentous microbes. This position is dedicated to characterizing and modulating microbial effectors targeted host plant processes. Crucially, the project will exclude the study of plant immunity.

The successful candidate will use advanced cell biology, protein biochemistry, and molecular genetics to establish the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Candidates must have or be close to gaining a PhD in a relevant discipline (plant microbe interactions, plant protein biochemistry, or plant cell biology) and have recently published as a first author in their field (preprints accepted).

Essential Skills and Knowledge:

• Protein Biochemistry: Expert-level experience in plant protein expression, co-immunoprecipitation, Western blotting, and immunodetection.
• Molecular and Synthetic Biology: Proficiency in cloning with expert-level experience in Golden Gate cloning for multi-level assembly of vectors, protein chimeras, and domain swaps being advantageous.
• Cell Biology & Quantitative: Previous experience in confocal fluorescence microscopy and Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).

Advantageous Skills:

• Experience with FRET-FLIM for protein-protein interaction.
• Experimental Systems: Experience within planta transient reporter assays (GUS, fluorophore, transactivation assays, Yeast-2-Hybrid
• Computational: Experience with Alphafold-based modelling and visualisation (PyMol/ChimeraX) and statistical analysis.

You will receive technical support and will be collaborating with researchers from other teams. Good communication skills are required to collaborate effectively. You will be fully involved in research and responsible for writing up your work for presentation and publication, and you may assist in supervising students.

The Laboratory provides a welcoming, collaborative environment with family-friendly benefits and development opportunities. Further information on the SLCU and the University's offerings can be found on the respective websites.

It is critical that you include a short motivational statement written in your own words (not AI-generated) indicating what specifically attracted you to joining our research group and what unique skills or perspective you would bring to the Schornack team. This helps us assess your actual communication skills and genuine motivation.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2.5 years in the first instance.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click 'Apply' above.

Scientific enquiries should be directed to Professor Sebastian Schornack, sebastian.schornack@slcu.cam.ac.uk.

For questions regarding the application process, please email HR@slcu.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PT47849 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.