Vacancy Type/Job category: Research Only
Department: Life Sciences
Salary: £32,348 – £42,155 per annum
Location: University of Warwick, Coventry
Vacancy Overview
Full Time, Fixed Term Contract Until 30/06/2026 (or 39 months from appointment assuming a start date of 01/04/2023).
Funding is available to recruit a PDRA on Grade 6 for a maximum 39 months restricted to end on 30/06/2026. The duration may need to be shortened up to a 34 months dependent on the starting salary of the successful candidate and their start date.
Applicants are invited to apply for a postdoctoral Research Fellow position at the School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick to work on a project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The postdoctoral research fellow will be working under the supervision of Professor Yin Chen at the School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick.
You will be part of a multidisciplinary team composed of researchers from University of Warwick, Queen’s University Belfast, James Hutton Institute and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, taking a multidimensional approach to quantify the impact of anthropogenic nutrient imbalance (nitrogen and phosphorus) on carbon flux from freshwater lakes. This post is based at University of Warwick under the supervision of Professor Yin Chen but will work closely with a postdoctoral research fellow at Queen’s University Belfast under the supervision of Dr Deepak Kumaresan, as well as Senior Research Scientists at the James Hutton Institute and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
We believe that collegiality, openness, inclusivity and diversity are essential for an excellent environment; this ethic has enabled us to gain an Athena SWAN Silver award. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you are excited by this role, we encourage you to apply, even if your past experience does not match exactly. We also encourage applications from all groups with protected characteristics (traditionally under-represented in STEM fields.)
In your application, you can also include any career breaks you may have taken (e.g. parental/caring/long-term sick leave, part-time work, secondments) or any periods where you were unable or restricted to work because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For those eligible, the University of Warwick offers relocation and Immigration Support Scheme packages to assist with costs of relocating and any associated visa applications and HIS (health) surcharge fees.
Interview date: TBC.
Job Description
JOB PURPOSE
Undertake research in order to support the work of the department and develop and enhance its reputation, both internally and externally. Assist the Project Leader and, where appropriate, project collaborators in the successful execution of the project.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITES
RESEARCH:
• Help establish a sound research base within the department in order to assist the development of research objectives and proposals for own or joint research.
• Conduct individual and collaborative research projects.
• To publish research outcomes in appropriate journals of international standing and to publish and disseminate the result of research to other reputable outlets.
• Translate knowledge of advances in the subject area into research activity.
• May contribute to preparing proposals and applications to external bodies, e.g. for funding and contractual purposes, to support a developing research agenda.
• May present information on research progress and outcomes to bodies supervising research, e.g. steering groups.
• May contribute to the preparation of papers for steering groups and other bodies.
• Communicate complex information (orally and in writing) and material of a specialist or highly technical nature.
• Continually update own knowledge and understanding in field or specialism.
TEACHING AND LEARNING SUPPORT:
• Could be expected to contribute to the teaching and learning programmes in the department.
• Assist in the supervision of student projects and the development of student research skills.
• May be involved in the assessment of student knowledge and supervision of projects.
ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER ACTIVITIES:
• May be required to attend departmental meetings and to participate (where necessary) in other committees and working groups within the department, the faculty and the University.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety in all aspects of work.
• Work within budget constraints.
The duties and responsibilities outlined are not intended to be an exhaustive list but provide guidance on the main aspects of the job. You will be required to be flexible in your duties.
Person Specification
The Person Specification focuses on the knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications required to undertake the role effectively. This is measured by (a) Application Form, (b) Test/Exercise, (c) Interview, (d) Presentation.Essential Criteria 1
Good honours degree and possession of a PhD or equivalent in relevant discipline. (a,c)Essential Criteria 2
Proven ability in research and evidence of quality research output in relevant field. (a,c)Essential Criteria 3
A developing research profile with the ability to publish and/or produce high quality research output. (a,c)Essential Criteria 4
Sufficient breadth or depth of specialist knowledge in microbial trace gas metabolism. (a,c,d)Essential Criteria 5
Experiences in cultivating methanotrophs or marine/freshwater cyanobacteria. (a,c,d)Essential Criteria 6
Good effective communication (oral and written) skills, presentation and training skills. (a,c,d)Essential Criteria 7
Ability to work independently and as part of a team on research programmes. (c)Desirable Criteria 1
Ability or potential to contribute to the development of funding proposals in order to generate external funding to support research projects. (c)
Further Particulars
If you have not yet been awarded your PhD but are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant on level 5 of the University grade structure. Upon successful award of your PhD and evidence of this fact, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of the level 6 of the University grade structure.
For further information about the University of Warwick, please read our University Further Particulars.
For further information about the department, please visit the departmental website.
Project:
Microbes represent the unseen majority of life on Earth, providing crucial ecosystem services to society such as nutrient cycling and greenhouse gas mitigation. Phototrophs and methanotrophs are ubiquitous in the environment, being key players in the global carbon cycle by fixing CO2 and oxidising CH4, respectively. Over the last decade, advances in omics have allowed a better understanding of these key microbes and their role in greenhouse gas metabolism but our ability to predict how environmental change affects their assembly, structure, stability and function in a complex microbial community is rather limited. This is particularly true for methanotrophs and cyanobacteria in freshwater lakes, one of the largest of the Earth’s ecosystems, estimated to contribute around a quarter of global carbon emissions. Freshwater lakes are particularly sensitive to human activities, with anthropogenic nitrogen and phosphorus runoffs shifting the global N:P balance, driving more and more ecosystems towards P limitation. However, how such a shift in N:P affects freshwater microbial communities, particularly the abundance and activity of phototrophs and methanotrophs and their ability to fix CO2 and oxidise CH4 remains poorly understood.
In this project, we bring together a novel combination of theoretical elements (metabolic coupling of phototrophs and methanotrophs) and a variety of empirical biology approaches, including i) the gathering and analysis of ambient concentrations and fluxes of CO2 and CH4 in real-world natural freshwater lakes across a nutrient gradient, ii) assessment of microbial community dynamics and persistence (using historical sedimentary DNA) in freshwater lakes, as well as iii) laboratory studies on model strains and multi-layered omics. We use both empirical and theoretical biological approaches and mathematical modelling to identify generalisable patterns in phototroph-methanotroph metabolic coupling to quantify the mechanisms (N:P imbalance induced P limitation) responsible for microbial community assembly and persistence under anticipated future global change in N:P imbalance. Our overarching question is “How does the assembly of the cyanobacteria-methanotroph community affect freshwater lake C flux, in line with projected global shifts in N:P imbalance?” We will address these questions through a series of inter-linked work packages which collectively span a gradient of control and realism, allowing us to apply causal understanding in real-world settings. The applicant will use cyanobacteria and methanotroph model strains from freshwater lakes to determine the impact of nutrient imbalance on trace gas metabolism and subsequence impact on the food chain.
Post:
Applicants are invited to apply for a postdoctoral research fellow positions at the School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick to work on a project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The postdoctoral research fellow will be working under the supervision of Professor Yin Chen at the School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick.
Informal enquires about these posts can be addressed to Dr Y Chen (Tel +44 (0)2476528976, email Y.CHEN.25@warwick.ac.uk, http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/people/ychen/).
Warwick is committed to building an organisation of mutual respect and dignity, promoting a welcoming, diverse and inclusive working and learning environment. We recognise that everyone is different in a variety of visible and non-visible ways, and that those differences are to be recognised, respected, and valued. Where possible, we go beyond legislation to provide a place where everyone can thrive, supporting all staff to achieve their full potential. We aspire to remove economic, social and cultural barriers that may otherwise prevent people from succeeding.
We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all communities regardless of culture, background, age, disability, sex/gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion/belief, or sexual or romantic orientation. To find out more about our social inclusion work at Warwick visit our webpages here.
The University of Warwick holds an Athena SWAN Silver award; a national initiative to promote gender equality for all staff and students. Further information about the work of the University in relation to Athena SWAN can be found at the following link: Athena Swan (warwick.ac.uk)
The University of Warwick is one of the six founder institutions of the EUTOPIA European University alliance, whose aim is to become by 2025 an open, multicultural, confederated operation of connected campuses.
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Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy
As an organisation using the (DBS) Disclosure and Barring Service to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, the University of Warwick complies with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed. More information is available on the University’s Vacancy pages and applicants may request a copy of the DBS Code of Practice.
Closing Date: 3 Apr 2023
