Main Purpose of the Job

To create and use transposon mutant libraries in Salmonella and molecular microbiology to study how cells control drug entry (part of BBSRC LoLa grant).

Key Relationships

Mark Webber (Line manager)
Postdocs within the Webber group (in particular Muhammad Yasir)
Students within the group as a source of advice and support

Staff at collaborating partner organisations, particularly Dundee and GSK

MFS management
Other QIB groups

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage

To create transposon mutagenesis libraries in defined Salmonella mutants

25

To perform experiments to identify genes under selective pressure in different strains in different conditions

20

To create mutants for follow up as required by the project in Salmonella and expose these to compounds of interest

20

To complete and analyse RNAseq experiments to compare results with transposon mutagenesis

15

To prepare presentations and reports from the data generated

5

To liaise with external stakeholders

5

To contribute to laboratory and group management

5

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

5

Education & Qualifications

Requirement

Importance

PhD in a relevant area

Essential

BSc in a relevant subject

Essential

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement

Importance

Familiarity handling bacterial pathogens

Essential

Strong molecular microbiology expertise

Essential

Strong experience with molecular genetics

Essential

Experience creating transposon mutant libraries

Essential

Experience analysing transposon mutagenesis data

Essential

Experience extracting RNA and using for RNAseq

Essential

Experience in bioinformatic analysis of TnSeq and RNAseq

Desirable

Experience in RT QPCR

Desirable

Experience working with Salmonella

Desirable

Relevant Experience

Requirement

Importance

Experience in a laboratory setting working with bacterial pathogens

Essential

Experience managing projects, deadlines and generating outputs on time

Essential

Practical experience of creating defined mutants and in cloning

Essential

Hands on experience creating transposon mutants

Essential

Hands on experience preparing sequencing libraries

Essential

Hands on experience isolating high quality RNA for RNAseq

Essential

Hands on experience of relevant bioinformatic pipelines

Desirable

Practical experince measuring gene expression

Desirable

Hands on experience with Salmonella

Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement

Importance

Proven history of scientific writing

Essential

Strong record keeping

Essential

Experience working with multiple stakeholders

Essential

Good communication skills, both written and verbal

Essential

Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work well as part of a team

Essential

Additional Requirements

Requirement

Importance

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

Ability to maintain confidentiality and security of information where appropriate

Essential

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

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

Microbes and Food Safety

Group Details

The candidate will join the Webber group which is embedded within the MFS ISP within QIB and consists of multiple postdocs and PhD students studying different aspects of bacterial adaptation

Living in Norfolk

• Visit Norfolk
• Schools in Norfolk
• Childcare in Norfolk

Research Scientist

We are seeking an enthusiastic Research Scientist to join the Webber group at the Quadram Institute.

Background:

This post represents an opportunity to join an exciting multipartner consortium in a newly funded sLoLa project led by the University of Birmingham. The successful candidate will use high throughput transposon mutagenesis to help understand how bacteria control drug entry to the cell in different conditions. The candidate will join the Webber group within the Quadram Institute and have opportunities to develop their skillset within a vibrant and supportive environment.

The postholder will create and use transposon mutant libraries in Salmonella and use RNAseq and various infomratic approaches as part of a collaborative project.

The ideal candidate:

Candidates should have a PhD in microbiology/ genomics and experience working with bacterial pathogens. Experience with creating transposon mutant libraries and analysing resulting data is essential as is familiarity with RNAseq. Experience handling Salmonella and in informatics is highly desirable. Candidates should be comfortable with contemporary molecular genetics and microbiology and should be able demonstrate good communication skills and the ability to work independently and in teams. Previous experience working in multi stakeholder projects is valuable. 

For informal discussions contact Mark Webber at mark.webber@quadram.ac.uk.

Additional information:

Salary on appointment will be within the range £37,500 to £45,350 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full-time post for a contract of 48 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 be held in the first week of March 2026.

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 successful applicant will also be part of the Centre for Microbial Interactions (https://www.cmi-norwich.ac.uk/) which represents one of the world's largest groupings of microbiologists. Our work spans a broad remit of active research areas within plant, health and environmental sciences

The closing date for applications will be the 19th February 2026.

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