Main Purpose of the Job

Applications are invited for a Research Scientist to join the Laboratory of Dr Hildebrand at the Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB), Norwich, UK.

This post is part of a NERC project revealing the role of ammonia oxidising archaea in methane oxidation in the environment. The postholder will work with sequencing data derived from cultivated and natural soil microbiomes, to understand the role of prokaryotes (Archaea and Bacteria) in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, pipelines for SIP-enriched metagenomic sequencing and functional-targeted amplicon sequencing data will be developed (based on existing work in the group) and applied to interpret experiments conducted in the laboratory of collaborators.

The project holder will use metagenomics (similar to doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0386-6, 10.1111/1462-2920.15314, 10.1186/s40168-022-01365-1) to profile both taxonomic and functional compositions of for SIP-enriched metagenomic sequencing and functional-targeted amplicon sequencing and metatranscriptomics data. The bioinformatic tools will be developed to analyse and correct these data types, the statistical workflows established to interpret and understand how ammonia oxidising microorganisms respond to methane in soil.

Long-term, this work will contribute to reducing the impact of climate changes by manipulating existing microbial communities, and understanding how healthy soil microbiomes are established and maintained.

Key Relationships

The post holder will work closely with other group members, the line manager Dr Falk Hildebrand and collaborators Profs Laura Lehtovirta-Morley and Fred Warren.
The applicant is expected to help in the supervision of junior group members and to represent the group at trainings. The applicant will have direct access to established PacBio/ONT, Hi-C and single cell sequencing facilities, as well as one of UK’s largest HPC cluster at the NRP.

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage

Process and analyse soil metagenomes/metatranscriptomes

30

Use machine learning/statistics to characterize & predict community states

25

Develop new bioinformatic tools to process specialized metagenomic sequence data

25

Support group with tasks such as outreach, student supervision, writing grants

15

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

Education & Qualifications

Requirement

Importance

PhD in Bioinformatics, Soil science, Ecology or Microbiology, or equivalent experience

Essential

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement

Importance

Programming skills (e.g. C++, Perl, python or R)

Essential

Understanding of microbiomes, preferably environmental and soil microbiomes

Essential

Ability to troubleshoot and solve problems

Essential

Initiative and a desire to learn, to innovate, and to move out of their comfort zone

Essential

Ability to work independently on research projects

Desirable

Relevant Experience

Requirement

Importance

Familiarity with sequencing related, metagenomics, or metatranscriptomics, or soil microbial bioinformatics

Essential

Bioinformatics experience

Essential

Proven track-record of research output at the appropriate level

Essential

Experience grant writing or supervising lab members

Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement

Importance

Excellent communication skills, both written and oral

Essential

Promotes and strives for continuous improvement

Essential

Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work alone and as part of a team

Essential

Reliable and conscientious

Essential

Additional Requirements

Requirement

Importance

Attention to detail

Essential

Promotes equality and values diversity

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

Willingness to work outside standard working hours when required

Essential

Willingness to undertake any necessary training for the role

Essential

Quadram Institute Bioscience

The Quadram Institute is at the forefront of a new interface between food science, gut biology and health, developing solutions to worldwide challenges in food-related disease and human health.

We are engaged in fundamental and translational food and health research, alongside clinical studies, endoscopy and industry, working together to become a leading international hub for food and health research, combining scientific excellence and clinical expertise, delivering impacts on patient care and accelerating innovation.

The Quadram Institute is a diverse and multicultural scientific community. We thrive on our international and European 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.

For more information about working at Quadram Institute Bioscience, please click here.

Department

Food, Microbiome and Health

Group Details

The Hildebrand group uses meta*omics to research the diversity, community interactions, and evolution of microbes in communities. Currently the group has projects in both human associated and environmental (soil, lakes) microbiomes, for which custom bioinformatic solutions are developed in-house to enable a wholistic microbiome exploration. We advocate strain-resolved metagenomics and develop the numerical solutions to work with MAGs intra-specific phylogenies. For representative publications relevant to the post please see (doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.024 , 10.1101/2024.09.09.24313184 , 10.1016/j.chom.2021.05.008) and www.falk.science for group information.

The Quadram Institute is based on the Norwich Research Park, which is one of the largest single-site concentrations of research in food, genomics, and health in Europe. The Park hosts 4 BBSRC Institutes (including Earlham), 17,000 students, 3,000 full-time researchers and clinicians, and over 115 companies. The outstanding reputation of our researchers is internationally recognised, with 10 of the Park's scientists in the top 1% of the "most highly cited" in the world, including Dr Falk Hildebrand.

Living in Norfolk

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Research Scientist (Soil metagenomics)

Applications are invited for a Research Scientist to join the Laboratory of Dr Hildebrand at Quadram Institute, Norwich, UK.

Background:

This post is part of the NERC project “Identifying novel microbial drivers to mitigate atmospheric methane emission”. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and we aim to reveal the role of ammonia oxidizing Archaea in methane oxidation in the environment. The project will determine how methane affects soil microbial communities, and how specific soil microorganisms respond to methane and metabolise it. The postholder will work with sequencing data derived from cultivated and natural soil microbiomes, to understand the role of prokaryotes (Archaea and Bacteria) in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

The role:

The project holder will use metagenomics (similar to doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0386-6, 10.1111/1462-2920.15314, 10.1186/s40168-022-01365-1) to profile both taxonomic and functional compositions of for SIP-enriched metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing and functional-targeted amplicon sequencing data, interpreting experiments conducted in the laboratory of Prof Laura Lehtovirta-Morley. The bioinformatic tools will be developed to analyse and correct these data types, the statistical workflows established to interpret and understand how microorganisms respond to methane in both pristine and laboratory-based soil communities, building on tools available in the Hildebrand group.

Long-term, this work will advance our understanding of biogeochemical cycling, contribute to reducing the impact of climate change by manipulating existing microbial communities, and understanding how healthy soil microbiomes are established, and maintained.

The environment:


The Hildebrand group uses metagenomics to research the diversity, community interactions, and evolution of microbes in communities using custom software solutions. The Lehtovirta-Morley group explores environmental  microbiomes and biogeochemical cycling using both cultivation-independent and cultivation-dependent experiments. Both groups collaborate closely on microbial archaeal research in soils. The research is situated at the Norwich Research Park (NRP) UK, that encompasses the University of East Anglia, 4 BBSRC Institute, > 15 companies, 3,000 researchers and clinicians, 17,000 students. Norwich ranked in the top 10 for UK cities with a beautiful, historical town centre and an active gastropub & coffee aficionado scene.

The applicant is expected to help in the supervision of junior group members and to represent the group at trainings. The applicant will have direct access to established PacBio/ONT, Hi-C and single cell sequencing facilities, as well as one of UK’s largest HPC cluster at the NRP.

The ideal candidate:

The applicant needs to hold a PhD (or equivalent) in biology, bioinformatics, computer science or a related discipline with a background and/or interest in at least one of the following subjects:

- Microbiomes & biodiversity
- Metagenomics & patient cohorts
- Ecology & evolution

The ideal candidate will have a keen interest in soil microbiology and biogeochemical cycling, and experience in conducting scientific experiments independently, writing papers, presenting work and grant writing. Basic statistics and programming skills (either R, python, Perl, C++, or equivalent) is expected. Specialized skills will be taught and developed through mentorship and collaborations.

Additional information:

Salary on appointment will be within the range £36,720 to £42,000 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full-time post for a contract of 9 months, potentially extensible for a further 9 months.

This role meets the criteria for a visa application, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply.  Please contact the Human Resources Team if you have any questions regarding your application or visa options.

Interviews will likely be held around 14 July 2025.

We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and welcome applications from all sectors of society. The Institute values of Respect, Innovation, Collaboration and Excellence are at the heart of all we do, and we expect all employees to share and display these values. To support our commitment, we have a range of family, faith and diversity friendly working arrangements to help all staff achieve excellence in their area of work.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.

About the Quadram Institute:

The Quadram Institute is a new interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to understanding how food and microbes interact to promote health and prevent disease. Its mission is to deliver healthier lives through innovation in gut health, microbiology and food. A partnership between Quadram Institute Bioscience, the University of East Anglia, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and BBSRC, it brings together scientists and clinicians in a state-of-the-art building on the Norwich Research Park. This is one of Europe’s largest centres of life sciences and home of the John Innes Centre and The Earlham Institute. (https://quadram.ac.uk/).

The closing date for applications will be 8 July 2025.

The Quadram Institute Bioscience is a registered charity (No. 1058499) and is an Equal Opportunities Employer