Main Purpose of the Job

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a microbiologist/biochemist/cell biologist to join a Wellcome Trust-funded project in the Le Group at the John Innes Centre, working on understanding bacterial chromosome organisation and segregation.

The aim of this project is to understand how various nucleoid-associated proteins (ParB-ParA), structure maintenance of the chromosome (SMC) protein and DNA topoisomerases integrate their actions to spatially organise a bacterial chromosome both at the local and global levels. Furthermore, this project will uncover the relationship between chromosome organisation and the regulation of gene expression and chromosome segregation. The work will employ an aquatic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus.

The practical end point of our research, besides pure academic interests, is to identify new target for anti-bacterial therapies and to possibly prevent/reduce plasmid-borne antibiotic resistance.

Key Relationships

The post holder will take responsibility for the day-to-day management of the project, including planning, execution, trouble-shooting, analysis and interpretation of experiments. They will be advised by the line manager Dr. Tung Le through regular one-to-one meetings. There are potential collaborations internally to the JIC and internationally. The post holder will be expected to take an active role in interactions with the collaborators. Furthermore, the post-holder will be expected to participate in training new graduate students.

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage

Carry out experiments, collate and analyse results, plan further experiments

80

Prepare and submit papers; prepare and present talks for internal, national and international audiences

10

Undertake training in specific skills required for the project, and in broader transferable skills

5

Participation in training new graduate students

5

As agreed with line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the role

Education & Qualifications

Requirement

Importance

PhD or equivalent experience in microbiology or biochemistry

Essential

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement

Importance

Expertise in microbiological/biological techniques, especially in Pseudomonas or Caulobacter genetics

Essential

Good basic mathematical, statistical, bioinformatic and computing skills, and a proven ability to grasp and apply new skills and concepts

Essential

Good understanding of chromosome biology

Essential

Proven ability to carry out innovative research with important, publishable outcomes

Essential

Relevant Experience

Requirement

Importance

Experience in cell biology techniques such as epifluorescence microscopy

Essential

Practical experience in bacterial genetics or microscopy techniques

Essential

Relevant first-author publication in a peer-reviewed journal

Essential

Practical experience with gene knockout and plasmid constructions, especially in Pseudomonas or Caulobacter

Essential

High level of organisation and high-quality record keeping

Essential

Evidence of intellectual independence, rigor and creativity

Essential

Practical experience with X-ray crystallography and/or related structural biology techniques

Desirable

Experience in protein purification techniques and protein degradation assays

Desirable

Experience of oral presentation to external academic audiences

Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement

Importance

Able to communicate effectively in both written and verbal form

Essential

Good team-working, collaborative and interpersonal skills

Essential

Ability to work independently

Essential

Good presentational skills

Essential

Excellent organisation skills

Essential

Additional Requirements

Requirement

Importance

Promotes equality and values diversity

Essential

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

Able to present a positive image of self and the Institute, promoting both the international reputation and public engagement aims of the Institute

Essential

Ability to maintain confidentiality and security of information where appropriate

Essential

Willingness to work outside standard working hours when required

Desirable

Overseas travel, for visits of a few days to lab of collaborators and to conferences

Desirable

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

Molecular Microbiology

Our holistic approach integrates cellular physiology, molecular genetics (including functional genomics), biochemistry and structural biology. In the Department of Molecular Microbiology we study bacterial metabolism, physiology, gene regulation and development, and plant-bacterial interactions. Major themes of our work on Gram-negative bacteria are the molecular basis of signal transduction in response to various environmental signals and studies on the biology of ammonia channel proteins which are conserved in all domains of life.

The Department's comprehensive Streptomyces programme, studying antibiotic production, morphological differentiation and stress responses, is underpinned by the newly-acquired genome sequence of the model species S. coelicolor, and cutting-edge techniques in functional genomics. Another major research area is the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis where our studies range from bacterial quorum-sensing and plant-bacterial signalling interactions to the developmental responses of plants to their microbial symbionts.

The Department capitalises on the John Innes Centre's emerging strengths in functional genomics, structural biology and advanced cytological techniques, as well as exploiting novel links between research on bacterial and plant processes.

Group Details

The chromosomes of all living organisms must be compacted nearly three orders of magnitude to fit within cells. Moreover, DNA must be packaged in a way that is compatible with a myriad of DNA-based processes, including replication, segregation, transcription, repair, and recombination. This challenge is particularly acute in bacteria as chromosome segregation occurs concomitantly with DNA replication rather than being separated temporally, as in eukaryotes. How chromosome organisation and its integration with biological processes are achieved in vivo remains poorly understood. To fill this knowledge gap, our lab aims to: 1) Elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying chromosome organisation and segregation 2) Unravel the relationship between spatial chromosome organisation (locally and globally) and important biological processes in the cell. We are particularly interested in how the Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) protein and Partitioning proteins (ParA-ParB-parS) interact with DNA to organize and segregate the bacterial chromosome. The combination of structural biology, genetics, cell biology, and genome-wide techniques (ChIP-seq and Hi-C) has proved to be very effective in investigating SMC/ParB in our lab. In the long term, we aim to apply similar approaches to investigate other classes of chromosome-structuring proteins. The ultimate aim of our lab is to understand the integration of actions of different classes of architecture proteins in organizing the chromosome. The candidate will join a diverse group of students, postdocs, and scientists and work closely with Prof. David Lawson, the John Innes Centre (JIC) X-ray crystallography platform manager (https://www.jic.ac.uk/research-impact/technology-research-platforms/protein-crystallography/). The JIC also has a FEI Talos F200C TEM for sample screening purposes. Candidates willing to learn cryo-EM are welcomed.

Living in Norfolk

• Visit Norfolk
• Schools in Norfolk
• Childcare in Norfolk

Postdoctoral Researcher
Salary:            £37,500 - £40,600 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.
Contract:        12 months, full-time
Location:        John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK.
Closing date: 24 October 2025
Reference:     1004969

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a microbiologist/biochemist/cell biologist to join the Le Group at the John Innes Centre, working on understanding bacterial chromosome organisation and segregation.  

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 Le Group:

The chromosomes of all living organisms must be compacted nearly three orders of magnitude to fit within cells. Moreover, DNA must be packaged in a way that is compatible with a myriad of DNA-based processes, including replication, segregation, transcription, repair, and recombination. This challenge is particularly acute in bacteria as chromosome segregation occurs concomitantly with DNA replication rather than being separated temporally, as in eukaryotes. How chromosome organisation and its integration with biological processes are achieved in vivo remains poorly understood. To fill this knowledge gap, the Le Group aims to:

• Elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying chromosome organisation and segregation
• Unravel the relationship between spatial chromosome organisation (locally and globally) and important biological processes in the cell.

The role:

The aim of this project is to understand how various chromosome segregation proteins (ParB-ParA), structure maintenance of the chromosome (SMC) protein and DNA topoisomerases integrate their actions to spatially organise a bacterial chromosome both at the local and global levels. Furthermore, this project will uncover the relationship between chromosome organisation and the regulation of gene expression and chromosome segregation. The work will employ an aquatic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus and Pseudomonas.

The practical end point of the research, besides pure academic interests, is to identify new target for anti-bacterial therapies and to possibly prevent/reduce plasmid-borne antibiotic resistance.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to:
• Shape your own project/ideas
• Gain a greater understanding of bacterial chromosome organisation and segregation
• Engage in manuscript and proposal writing
• Use next-generation sequencing techniques (ChIP-seq, Hi-C) and analysis

The ideal candidate:

You will have a PhD or equivalent experience in microbiology, cell biology, or biochemistry. You will have in-depth knowledge of microbiological/biological techniques and a good understanding of chromosome biology. 

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 1004969. 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.