- Job Title
- Postdoctoral Researcher
- Post Number
- 1004889
- Closing Date
- 11 May 2025
- Grade
- SC6
- Starting Salary
- Salary: £36,720 - £44,500
- Hours per week
- 37
- Project Title
- Investigating the mechanisms of co-transcriptional gene regulation in plants
- Expected/Ideal Start Date
- 01 Aug 2025
- Months Duration
- 36
- Interview Date
- 21 May 2025
Job Description
Main Purpose of the Job
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Ding and Dean groups at the John Innes Centre to study the mechanisms of co-transcriptional gene regulation in plants.
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
- RNA structure profiling, ChIP-seq data analysis, GWAS analysis, HiC analysis, data analysis, AI-driven methods.
- 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 or bioinformatics, or Computer Science
- Essential
- BSc or equivalent in biology, biochemistry, genetics, bioinformatics, and Computer Science
- Essential
Specialist Knowledge & Skills
- Requirement
- Importance
- RNA biology,RNA structure, AI method, computational skills, and genome/transcriptome data analysis
- Essential
Relevant Experience
- Requirement
- Importance
- Develop ideas on RNA structure-based co-transcriptional 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
- Able to present a positive image of self and the Institute, promoting both the international reputation and public engagement aims of the Institute
- 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
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. The Dean lab investigates the molecular mechanism of co-transcriptional gene regulation in flowering time. Two labs work together to understand how RNA structure functions in co-transcriptional gene regulation. We are developing new experimental and analytical approaches for revealing DNA/RNA structure and their interactions with proteins. We developed novel and powerful platforms to study DNA/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 DNA/RNA biology research. Our lab utilizes multidisciplinary knowledge and approaches in the areas of nucleic acid chemistry, RNA biology, plant 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: 36 months, full time
Location: John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK.
Closing date: 11 May 2025
Reference: 1004889
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Postdoctoral Researcher join the Ding and Dean groups at the John Innes Centre to study the mechanisms of co-transcriptional gene regulation in plants.
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 and Dean Groups:
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. The Dean lab investigates the molecular mechanism of co-transcriptional gene regulation in flowering time. Two labs work together to understand how RNA structure functions in co-transcriptional gene regulation. We are developing new experimental and analytical approaches for revealing DNA/RNA structure and their interactions with proteins. We developed novel and powerful platforms to study DNA/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 DNA/RNA biology research. Our lab utilizes multidisciplinary knowledge and approaches in the areas of nucleic acid chemistry, RNA biology, plant 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's/PhD students on their projects.
The post-holder will be able to conduct some dry-bench data analysis to study co-transcriptional gene regulation in plants. The successful candidate will join Yiliang Ding's and Caroline Dean's groups at JIC and work on multiple aspects of experimentation: genome/transcriptome data analysis, targeted individual gene regulation, biological function analysis, AI-based methods, and corresponding bioinformatics analysis. The details of the group can be found at https://www.jic.ac.uk/people/yilliang-ding/ and https://www.jic.ac.uk/people/caroline-dean/.
The ideal candidate:
You will have a PhD (full award or expected within 6 months) or equivalent in Biology, chemistry, bioinformatics, or Computer Science. The successful applicant will have an excellent background in these fields. Experience in genome/transcriptome data analysis and regulation of gene expression, RNA biology, bioinformatics, and plant genetics is desirable but not essential. The post holder will have opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge through excellent training in genome/transcriptome data analysis, AI-based computational skills, bioinformatics, DNA/RNA structure profiling, and gene regulations.
Additional information:
Candidates are required to submit a covering letter along with their CV as part of their application.
Interviews will be held on 21 May 2025.
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.