Postdoctoral Researcher
Post Details
Job Title
Postdoctoral Researcher
Post Number
1004818
Closing Date
7 Jan 2025
Grade
SC6
Starting Salary
Salary: £36,720 - £44,500
Hours per week
37
Project Title
Investigating RNA structure functionalities in RNA export in plants
Expected/Ideal Start Date
03 Feb 2025
Months Duration
24
Interview Date
13 Jan 2025

Job Description

Main Purpose of the Job

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Ding group at the John Innes Centre to study the role of in vivo RNA structure in RNA export

Key Relationships

The successful candidate will primarily interact with other researchers including biologists, chemists and computer scientists in the Ding Lab, they will also have regular interactions with the lab collaborators around the world.

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage
Identify, plan, carry out and modify experiments to meet the objectives of the project
60
Prepare results, reports and manuscripts for publication in leading scientific journals and other relevant media
5
Collaborate with colleagues within the Institute in the development of original and world-class research, including contributing to research proposals and grant applications
5
Contribute to the smooth running of the group, including the effective use of resources, supervision of visitors to the laboratory and assisting with training others, encouraging scientific excellence
5
Disseminate research findings through presentations to various audiences at internal, national and international meetings
5
Liaise with industry and other external stakeholders
5
Ensure research and record keeping is carried out in accordance with good practice, Scientific Integrity and in compliance with local policies and any legal requirements
5
Continually strive for excellence, seeking out and acting on feedback and relevant learning and development opportunities
5
As agreed with the line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the post, for example, contributing to the work of Institute committees
5

Person Profile

Education & Qualifications

Requirement
Importance
PhD (full award or expected within 6 months) or equivalent in biology or chemistry
Essential
BSc or equivalent in biology, biochemistry, genetics
Essential

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement
Importance
RNA biology and plant genetics
Essential

Relevant Experience

Requirement
Importance
Develop ideas on RNA structure-based gene regulations
Essential
Proven record in scientific writing
Essential
Experience of oral research presentations
Essential
Preparing data / information for grant proposals
Desirable
Experience of supervising, training and mentoring visitors and students
Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement
Importance
Ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders
Essential
Ability to follow instructions/Standard Operating Procedures
Essential
Demonstrated ability to work independently, using initiative and applying problem solving skills
Essential
Excellent time management and organisational skills
Essential
Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to present complex information with clarity
Essential
Promotes and strives for continuous improvement
Essential
Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work as part of a team
Essential

Additional Requirements

Requirement
Importance
Attention to detail
Essential
Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of all staff at the Institute, ensuring it is a great place to work
Essential
Ability to maintain confidentiality and security of information where appropriate
Essential
Willingness to work outside standard working hours when required
Essential
Promotes equality and values diversity
Essential
Ability to undertake occasional travel (national and international) related to collaborations and/or seminars
Essential
Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of all staff at the Institute, ensuring it is a great place to work
Essential

Who We Are

John Innes Centre

The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant and microbial genetics, carrying out fundamental and strategic research, to train scientists and making our findings available to society.

Our research makes use of a wide range of disciplines in the biological and chemical sciences including; cell biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics and molecular biology.

For more information about working at the John Innes Centre, please click here.

We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive working environment for all. We have a diverse and multicultural scientific community and thrive on our European and international links, appointing staff from across the world. Any candidate who would like further information on current or anticipated immigration requirements can contact the HR Team on +44 (0)1603 450888 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk.

We are proud to hold a prestigious Athena SWAN Gold award, recognising the impact of our work in promoting gender equality in science. We are also a proud member of the Stonewall Diversity Champion’s programme, a founding signatory of the Tecnician Commitment and, as a Disability Confident employer, guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852), limited by guarantee (registered in England No. 511709).

Department

Cell & Developmental Biology

Development continues throughout the life of the plant. While many linear pathways affecting development have been discovered and are illustrated by elegant genetic studies, the challenge of the future will be for us to understand how these developmental pathways are integrated, both with themselves as well as with environmental signals, to enable a mature plant to grow from a seed.  Guided by evolutionary principles, the Department uses its knowledge of biological processes obtained in laboratory organisms such as Arabidopsis to understand processes in crop plants such as Brassicas and cereals.  To study this interaction of the plant genome with internal developmental networks and the environment, the Department uses a combination of genetic, cell biological, molecular and evolutionary strategies. The insights we are gaining provide both an increasingly detailed knowledge of the proteins involved in diverse regulatory mechanisms and a conceptual framework in which this knowledge can be related and eventually integrated into a molecular description of plant cell function.   The knowledge the department is creating is relevant to agriculture. Genes that control plant stature, form, over-wintering responses and growth are potentially useful for improving crop performance.

Group Details

The Ding lab investigates the role of RNA structure in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression including translation, polyadenylation, RNA splicing, RNA stability and RNA processing. We are also exploring how RNA structure alters in response to environmental changes. We are developing new experimental and analytical approaches for revealing RNA structure and RNA-protein interactions. We developed novel and powerful platforms to study RNA structure in vivo and across diverse species at both the genome-wide scale and in individual RNAs. These breakthroughs have removed technological barriers and opened up new avenues for RNA biology research. Our lab utilizes multidisciplinary knowledge and approaches in the areas of nucleic acid chemistry, RNA biology and bioinformatics.

Living in Norfolk

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Postdoctoral Researcher
Salary:            £36,720 - £44,500 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.
Contract:        24 months, full time
Location:        John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK.
Closing date: 7 January 2025
Reference:     1004818

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Ding group at the John Innes Centre to study the role of in vivo RNA structure in diverse RNA biological processes.

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 Ding Group:

The Ding lab investigates the role of RNA structure in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression including translation, polyadenylation, RNA splicing, RNA stability and RNA processing.

We are also exploring how RNA structure alters in response to environmental changes. We are developing new experimental and analytical approaches for revealing RNA structure and RNA-protein interactions.

We developed novel and powerful platforms to study RNA structure in vivo and across diverse species at both the genome-wide scale and in individual RNAs. These breakthroughs have removed technological barriers and opened up new avenues for RNA biology research. Our lab utilizes multidisciplinary knowledge and approaches in the areas of nucleic acid chemistry, RNA biology and bioinformatics.

The role:

The Postdoctoral Researcher will explore the functional roles of RNA structure in diverse RNA biological processes. They will develop novel and advanced RNA structure profiling methods and they will supervise new master/PhD students on their projects.

The post holder will be able to communicate projects with dry-bench lab members in designing and validating RNA structure functionality in plants.

The successful candidate will join a team at JIC working on multiple aspects of experimentation: genome-wide in vivo RNA structure analysis, targeted individual RNA structure characterisation, biological function analysis and corresponding bioinformatics analysis. The details of the group can be found at https://www.jic.ac.uk/people/yilliang-ding/.

The ideal candidate:

You will have a PhD (full award or expected within 6 months) or equivalent in Biology or Chemistry. The successful applicant will have an excellent biology or/and chemistry background. Experience in transcriptome study and regulation of gene expression, RNA biology, and plant genetics is desirable but not essential.

The post holder will be provided with opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge through excellent training opportunities in RNA structure and RNA biology.

Additional information:

Applicants are required to submit their CV and a covering letter as part of their application.

This role meets the criteria for a visa application, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply.  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.