Research Laboratory Technician (Fixed Term)
The Pellegrini Lab (https://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/directory/adam-pellegrini) at the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge is recruiting a technician (tenure of 2 years) to help with project logistics and laboratory analyses as part of a UKRI funded project evaluating how fire and grazing impact ecosystem biogeochemistry. This position is ideal for candidates with strong organizational skills, a keen eye for detail, and a passion for laboratory work in ecological and biogeochemical research.
There is the opportunity for international travel to the USA and Africa.
We have a diverse lab group and especially encourage applications from underrepresented groups. There are numerous teaching opportunities, mentorship programs, and involvement in other institutes at Cambridge. The research will be done in collaboration with a postdoctoral researcher and technician, and several PhD students are conducting similar analyses, which creates a very collegial and social group dynamic in the lab. We cover all visa application fees. Dr Pellegrini is an American and is happy to provide insight into the process of relocating to the UK.
Preferred start date is as soon as possible, but at the latest April 2025 [flexibility on visa application timelines]. Please direct all queries to Adam Pellegrini at ap2188@cam.ac.uk and Courtney Currier at cc2228@cam.ac.uk.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.
Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD44670 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)
The Department of Plant Sciences is seeking to appoint a post-doctoral Research Associate to contribute to the discovery and production of bioactive natural products with utility in agriculture. The successful candidate will join the Patron Lab funded by a new Global Centre for the Bioeconomy with collaborators in the USA, Canada, UK, Japan and South Korea. We will provide a supportive research environment with an emphasis on personal development, research excellence, integrity, and respect. More information about the Patron lab is available at www.patronlab.org
This post is available for 4 years.
Role overview
The candidate will investigate proposed metabolic pathways using a range of bioinformatic, molecular biology and biochemistry skills to identify and functionally characterise candidate enzymes. They will also apply synthetic biology and metabolic engineering approaches to the reconstruction and optimisation of biosynthetic pathways in heterologous hosts, including the plant production chassis, Nicotiana benthamiana.
Key skills
The successful candidate will have a PhD in metabolic engineering, plant molecular biology/biotechnology, or natural product biochemistry. They will have a thorough understanding of specialised metabolism and approaches used in metabolic engineering and experienced in the design and assembly of constructs for engineering organisms and the use of mass spectrometry for the identification and quantification of metabolites. Ideally, they will have experience in engineering plants, including the use of agroinfiltration.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 4 years in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD44589 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)
The Department of Plant Sciences is seeking to appoint a post-doctoral Research Associate to join a project on reprogramming plants. The engineered plants will be used to provide unique insights into the biological programs that control root growth in response to nitrogen, and the role of root system architecture in nutrient use efficiency. The successful candidate will join the Patron Lab and will work in collaboration with researchers in the Brady Lab (University of California at Davis, USA) and the Zurbriggen lab (University of Dusseldorf, Germany). We will provide a supportive research environment with an emphasis on personal development, research excellence, integrity, and respect. more information about the Patron lab is available at www.patronlab.org.
Role overview
The successful applicant will design and develop molecular tools to engineer nitrate signalling and root development. They will characterise engineered plants and conduct experiments to investigate the role of root systems on the uptake and use of externally applied nutrients. Further, they will collaborate on the application of novel, synthetic optogenetic systems for controlling plant gene expression and growth.
Key skills
The successful candidate must have a PhD in plant molecular or synthetic biology and a thorough understanding of plant responses to nutrient availability. Applicants should be proficient in the design and assembly of constructs for engineering plants and experience in quantitative assays for gene expression. Ideally, they will be experienced in the production and analysis of transgenic plants and skilled in the use of microscopy for tracking the expression of fluorescent reporters in plants.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD44594 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)
The Department of Plant Sciences is seeking to appoint a post-doctoral Research Associate to investigate how DNA features contribute to gene expression and how these can be used for the predictable design of synthetic constructs for engineering plants. The successful candidate will join the Patron Lab and will work in collaboration with researchers in the Queitsch lab (University of Washington, USA) and the Jores lab (University of Dusseldorf, Germany). Together, we will investigate regulatory sequences and engineer programmable and tuneable gene expression in plants. We will provide a supportive research environment with an emphasis on personal development, research excellence, integrity, and respect. More information about the Patron lab is available at www.patronlab.org.
Role overview
The candidate will conduct experiments using bioinformatic, molecular biology and synthetic biology approaches to investigate expression-limiting features of DNA shape, torsional stress, and nucleosome occupancy. They will use this knowledge to develop strategies to engineer expression in plants, seeking to optimise yields from metabolic pathways.
Key skills
The successful candidate must have a PhD in molecular or synthetic biology and a thorough understanding of eukaryotic genomes and gene expression. Applicants should be proficient in the design and assembly of constructs for engineering plants and experience in quantitative assays. Ideally, they will be experienced in the use of mass spectrometry for the identification and quantification of metabolites.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD44591 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
CLR Programme Coordinator (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a Research Programme Coordinator to work as part of the flagship Centre for Landscape Regeneration (CLR) led by the University of Cambridge.
https://www.clr.conservation.cam.ac.uk/
The successful candidate will be based in the David Attenborough Building with the Department of Plant Sciences, and will work across many different research areas and Departments as part of the Centre for Landscape Regeneration (CLR).
The Centre for Landscape Regeneration (CLR) is an ambitious programme of research that aims to provide the knowledge and tools needed to regenerate the British countryside using cost-effective nature-based solutions that harness the power of ecosystems to provide broad societal benefits including biodiversity recovery and climate mitigation and adaptation. The focal landscapes for the CLR are the Cambridgeshire Fens, the Cairngorms and the Cumbrian Lake District.
The CLR is funded through a five-year, £10 million programme of the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), with additional support provided by philanthropic donations. CLR is co-directed by Professor David Coomes and Professor Emily Shuckburgh OBE. The Centre comprises over 30 co-investigators, 20 postdocs and 4 PhD students across 14 University Departments and four external partners: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), RSPB, NIAB, and the Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme (ELSP). It is a flagship programme of Cambridge Zero (CZ) and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI).
We are seeking a Research Programme Coordinator to support and deliver the ambitions of the interdisciplinary research of the CLR. The role holder will be key part of a small Programme Coordination Team managing the operations of the CLR, working alongside the Programme Manager to implement and manage the programme's activities to deliver the CLR's ambitions in an effective and timely manner.
The University and the Centre for Land Regeneration actively support Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within our teams, and we encourage applications from all sections of society. We support family-friendliness, and we welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for flexible working or part-time arrangements.
The role is based at the David Attenborough Building in central Cambridge. We practice a hybrid working model and although staff can work at home and at the office, regular office attendance in Cambridge will be required (at least 2 days per week).
Informal enquiries are welcome, please contact Helen Driver, hvd23@cam.ac.uk
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 30 January 2027 in the first instance.
We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for part-time working or other flexible working arrangements.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD44425 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Herbarium Collections Manager
The herbarium collections comprise 1.1 million specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes, algae and fungi are held; an 8,000 photographic slide collection; with associated 6,000+ book collection and archives (co-managed by the University Library). The Collections Manager takes day-to-day responsibility for maintaining, organising and operating the University Herbarium, its collections and services. The Collections Manager will be point of contact for all visitors to the Herbarium, including researchers and members of the public, facilitating use of the collections for research, teaching and outreach purposes. They will respond to and manage requests for loans and samples of Herbarium materials in a timely fashion. They will support fundraising, assist in writing grant applications to trusts and foundations, and in developing relationships with potential donors (with the support of CUDAR and the Department of Plant Sciences). The Collections Manager will directly line manage the Collections and Digitisation Assistant, any specialist staff on fixed-term projects, and a team of regular volunteers. The post reports to the Academic lead for the Herbarium.
Limited funding: The funds for this post are available until 31 July 2029 in the first instance.
Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD44252 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Collections & Digitisation Assistant (Fixed Term)
The Department of Plant Sciences is seeking to appoint a Collections and Digitisation Assistant in the University Herbarium.
Role purpose
To facilitate herbarium-based research this role aims to contribute to the creation and maintenance of a new digital archive for the Herbarium, carry out a collection level-level audit, provide digital herbarium services and advice to remote users, access and curatorial support to local users with a diverse range of needs, and guided tours to students and potential users. This role will also develop and manage the in-person volunteer program, providing curatorial and digitisation projects suited to individual strengths and needs of the collection.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 4 years in the first instance.
Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD44234 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)
We are looking for a post-doctoral researcher to join a BBSRC funded project exploring the development of insect-mimicking petal spots in Gorteria diffusa. This South African daisy produces complex three dimensional spots on its ray florets that attract male flies for sexually deceptive pollination. We have been studying the development and evolution of these spots for several years, and have a range of resources available including genome sequence, multiple transcriptomic datasets and a reliable transformation protocol. You will join the project to undertake work analysing candidate genes for the regulation of the spot. Experimental approaches will include molecular and microscopical analysis of transgenic lines, generation of constructs for new transgenic lines, laser capture of tissues early in development for gene expression analysis and yeast-based approaches to explore protein-protein and protein-promoter interactions.
You will work as part of a project team including a transformation technician, a final year PhD student and a second incoming postdoc focused on genomic analysis to understand petal spot evolution.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 1 years in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD44192 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Laboratory Technician
We are looking for a research technician to join an ERC/UKRI funded project exploring the convergent evolution of iridescent flowers across the Angiosperms. The technician will join a team tackling this question from molecular, morphological and ecological angles. This particular position will be focused on conducting a mutant screen to identify lines of Hibiscus trionum which lack iridescent petals.
The successful candidate will mutagenize and grow plants, screen flowers, select lines for further analysis, and conduct crosses. The roleholder will also support the project team in general plant growth, tissue culture and plant transformation, and basic laboratory tasks.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD42420 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)
We are looking for a post-doctoral researcher to join an ERC/UKRI funded project exploring the convergent evolution of iridescent flowers across the Angiosperms. The post-doc will join a team tackling this question from molecular, morphological and ecological angles. This particular position will have a joint focus on mechanical modelling and microscopy. You will work with our current mechanical model of petal surface buckling, ensuring it is adapted as new data emerge from experimental approaches. It is particularly important that you are able to share modelling ideas, approaches and results with experimental biologists, and that you can respond to their requirements. You will also undertake morphological characterization of a range of Angiosperm flowers with iridescent surfaces, using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy to measure key cellular parameters implicated in the ability to buckle.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD44079 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Laboratory Technician (Fixed Term)
Research Laboratory Technician in Cereal Symbiosis
Applications are invited for a laboratory technician to support the research work in Professor Uta Paszkowski 's laboratory, starting as soon as possible. This is an exciting opportunity for somebody passionate about scientific research to join a vibrant and friendly team of researchers and technicians in the Crop Science Centre at the University of Cambridge and work in a state-of-the-art laboratory.
The Crop Science Centre opened in October 2020 and benefits from the diverse skills and expertise of the University of Cambridge and NIAB, providing an environment for research excellence in crops, with the drive and expertise for scientific translation to address real-world problems. About 60 staff and students are located at the Centre, distributed in between three established research groups and three fellows starting new research programs.
The role holder will report to Professor Paszkowski and will have experience in management, organisation and maintenance of large volumes of materials and/or databases with hands-on expertise in standard molecular biological techniques (PCR, cloning, DNA/RNA extraction). The post demands an ability for systematic, organised working, and sufficient experience to appropriately prioritise tasks. The successful candidate will contribute to overall technical support for the smooth running of research activities across the Paszkowski group.
The new hire will have the ability to work independently once trained, but will also need good communication and interpersonal skills, and be a strong team player, well integrating with the wider team of laboratory technicians.
This is a full-time position.
Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to Prof Uta Paszkowski (up220@cam.ac.uk)
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 18 months in the first instance.
Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
If you have not received any response 1 month after the closing date you should consider your application to be unsuccessful.
Please quote reference PD43881 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
University Associate Professor (Grade 10)
We welcome excellent candidates who can teach and perform research in Plant Ecology and will complement our expertise in forest ecology, conservation, and evolution. In particular, we are interested in applications from those with a focus on fieldwork, collection-based approaches, or big data analysis in areas such as community ecology, plant and microbial responses to climate change, forestry, and the global restoration and conservation agendas.
The appointee will join the Department of Plant Sciences, which delivers teaching and research that stretches across the plant sciences discipline - from ecology and conservation, to physiology, genetics and genomics. There will be the opportunity to be affiliated with the Cambridge Conservation Research Institute, a world-leading centre for research and training in biodiversity conservation, working in partnership with ten international conservation organisations.
Key responsibilities include teaching undergraduates, conducting world-leading research, and advising postgraduate students and post-doctoral workers. There is the opportunity to become a Fellow of a College. Undergraduate teaching includes lectures, practical classes, and small-group supervisions. The teaching commitment also includes an annual field course (either in England, Portugal or Borneo). Postgraduate training options include contribution to MPhil and PhD programmes. Innovations in teaching methods are actively encouraged, as are engagement with mentoring and professional development.
We will support the successful candidate to develop a research programme that complements and reinforces existing Departmental research strengths. There are shared laboratory facilities for a variety of environmental analyses both within the Department and in collaboration with other Departments.
Candidates must have a PhD in a relevant field and sufficient breadth and/or depth of specialist knowledge in their chosen discipline to be able to teach to a high standard. They should also have evidence of excellence in research and demonstrated capacity to develop research objectives, projects and proposals. Appointments at the level of Associate Professor will usually be able to provide evidence of success in obtaining research funding to support research or career development.
Applications should comprise a letter of application (summarise how you would contribute to both teaching and research in the Department), your curriculum vitae (including up-to-date publications list, and for three outputs a concise narrative outlining the context for each piece of work, your contribution to the output, and the importance of the findings), and a statement of your current and future research plans (no more than five pages in length).
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
If you have not heard from us within 1 month, please assume that your application was unsuccessful.
Please quote reference PD43633 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy. The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)
The postdoctoral researcher will join the Pellegrini lab at the University of Cambridge and be embedded in a larger research team seeking to deploy new thermal detection technology to address a range of global change issues.
The postdoc's project aims to scale field measurements of fire intensity and behavior to predict greenhouse gas emissions arising from soil organic carbon combustion during small smoldering fires in peatlands. This involves prescribed burn experiments in the Scottish Highlands (Cairngorms), where numerous instruments will be used to measure fire behavior (thermal sensor on drone, thermocouples in peat, etc.), and greenhouse gas fluxes (chamber measurements of CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes). Sites will be sampled over the course of several weeks prior to the burn and after the burn, requiring fieldwork for 4-6 weeks. In the lab, the researcher will conduct different biogeochemical analyses to asses soil organic matter composition, stability, and microbial decomposition activity. All the data will be compared with drone thermal measurements of the fire, coordinated with collaborators focusing on the remote sensing aspect of the project, and aim to scale estimates of emissions from smoldering fires. Additional field sampling in Southeast Asia and North America are also possible pending successful deployment in Scotland
The overall team is interdisciplinary, comprising researchers in the Plant Sciences, Architecture, and Astronomy Departments. A company, Super Sharp, is leading the deployment of a satellite with a thermal sensor that will enable us to scale our plot-based measurements to the global scale.
The Pellegrini lab consists of a diverse group of researchers, ranging from undergraduates, permanent research associates, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers. We work on both original data collection via field sampling and lab analyses as well as data synthesis and model-data comparisons. We are interesting in applying ecological and biogeochemical principles to solve global change problems.
The position is located in Cambridge and will be for a period of 24 months.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD42197 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Laboratory Technician (Fixed Term)
We are recruiting for a technical assistant based at the OpenPlant Laboratory in Cambridge in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, and directed by Prof. Jim Haseloff.
The successful candidate will help develop new approaches to bioproduction in the model liverwort plant Marchantia polymorpha. Work with Marchantia allows streamlined approaches to genome modification, cell dynamics and morphogenetic engineering. The planned work includes use of a collection of synthetic gene elements designed for engineering the Marchantia chloroplast genome. These allow hyper-expression of proteins in transgenic plants, and we are developing hydroponic systems for large-scale, soil-free propagation of plants, and low-cost downstream processing of plant extracts for purification of recombinant proteins at scale. We are looking for a highly motivated appointee to work in this area. This is a full time position.
OpenPlant is focused on the development of open foundational technologies for plant synthetic biology and their application for engineering new traits in crop systems. The initiative promotes two-tier intellectual property models, with commercial applications underpinned by open source technologies to accelerate product development, global sharing and responsible innovation (https://www.openplant.org).
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.
Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD43642 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position to develop sustainable solutions using microalgae involving use of the Algal Innovation Centre (AIC) at the University of Cambridge, focusing on production of medium- to high-value biomaterials and compounds. This is an exciting opportunity to engage with a range of stakeholders in the algal biotechnology sector, from both academia and industry. Candidates must hold a PhD in a relevant biological or engineering subject and have deep knowledge of exploitation of microalgae for a range of applications, including experience with scale up and analysis of microalgae using state-of-the-art methods, and a proven ability to troubleshoot and maintain equipment. The ideal candidate will be able to work independently to design experiments and critically evaluate data, have excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing, and experience of team work. They will be responsible for smooth operation of activities in the AIC, including managing the work carried out there, representing the facility to project partners and at meetings. They will also have the opportunity to initiate their own projects and participate in funding applications to support them.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 30 September 2026 in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD43619 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.