Summary
Applicants are invited to apply for a postdoctoral research fellow position (PDRA 3 years) at the School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham to work on a project funded by an ERC advanced grant. The postdoctoral research fellow will be working in a team composed of three PDRA fellows, a research technician and one PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Yin Chen.
Microbes represent the unseen majority of life on Earth, providing crucial ecosystem services to society such as greenhouse gas mitigation. Methanotrophs are ubiquitous in the environment, being key players in the global carbon cycle and the mitigation of methane release from the environment. Over the last decade, advances in omics have allowed a better understanding methantrophs and their role in greenhouse gas metabolism but our ability to predict how environmental change affects their assembly, structure, stability and function in response to climate change is rather limited. In this project, we bring together a novel combination of theoretical elements and a variety of empirical biology approaches to understand methane oxidation in real-world natural freshwater lakes and how methanotroph activity is regulated.
The successful candidate will
Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing bids
Operate within area of specialism
Analyse and interpret research findings and results
Contribute to generating funding
Main Duties
The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.
Assessing bacteriophages in freshwater lakes
Writing project reports and publications
Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
Contribute to writing bids for research funding
Analyse and interpret data
Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
Undertake management/administration arising from research
Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews *
Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters *
Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research *
Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines*
Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
* These indicative responsibilities may also be included in a research role at grade 6.
Person Specification
First degree in area of specialism and normally, a higher degree relevant to research area or equivalent qualifications
Strong skills in bacteriophages and associated bioinformatics
Strong background on environmental microbiology and virology
High level analytical capability
Ability to communicate complex information clearly
Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly
