- Job Title
- Research Scientist (Data Science)
- Post Number
- 1006100
- Closing Date
- 17 May 2026
- Grade
- SC6
- Starting Salary
- Salary: £37,500 - £43,350
- Funding End Date
- 30 Apr 2028
- Hours per week
- 37
- Project Title
- Gut microbial colonization and adaptation to the human host.
- Expected/Ideal Start Date
- 01 Jun 2026
- Months Duration
- 24
- Interview Date
- 21 May 2026
Job Description
Main Purpose of the Job
Applications are invited for a Research Scientist to join the Laboratory of Prof Hildebrand in the Food, Microbes and Health programme at Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB), Norwich, UK.
In this project we will investigate the impact fermented, plant-based foods have on the human gut microbiome and evaluate putative pathogenic interactions with the human host to develop a new standard in food safety. Concurrently, taste and texture of fermented foods will be predicted from the fermentation consortia and its members, as well as putatively negative effects of single microbial species on the fermentation process. Together, the project aims at developing a new generation of microbial community modelling tools by exploiting AI, following up from earlier work in the hosting group (doi:10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.024 ; doi:10.1093/nar/gkaf1388).
The successful applicant will work within a diverse, international consortium (FlavourFerm, https://www.flavourferm.eu/), that bring together machine learning experts, food scientists, diet creators and microbiologists to create the next generation of healthy and sustainable nutrition. Close interactions with consortium partners, specifically food scientists in Norwich and Denmark, machine learning experts in Austria, are encouraged through workshops and consortium meetings.
The ideal candidate is experienced in bioinformatics, (meta)genomic data, and microbiology. Specifically knowledge in AI, machine learning, microbial pathogens, microbiology of fermentation, comparative genomics and analysing microbial communities will be of benefit.
Long-term, this research will contribute to developing the next generation of human-centric fermented foods that are safe, tasty and environmentally sustainable.
Key Relationships
The post holder will work closely with other group members, the line managers Prof Falk Hildebrand and Dr Maria Traka, as well as key collaborators from the Traka group at QIB, Syddansk University in Denmark and the Austrian Institute of Technology, among other FlavourFerm partners (see https://www.flavourferm.eu/consortium).
The applicant is expected to help in the supervision of junior group members and to represent the group at trainings and will have direct access to established in vitro fermentation models, advanced sequencing facilities, state-of-the-art QIB laboratories, local food databanks with integrated AI systems, as well as one of UK’s largest HPC cluster.
Main Activities & Responsibilities
- Percentage
- Prepare and analyse metagenomes from in vitro gut models using high-resolution, genome resolve metagenomics
- 40
- Develop statistical framework to describe microbiome perturbations, using NMF, networks or similar
- 20
- Machine learning approach to predict impact of microbes in food fermentation performance
- 20
- Support group with tasks such as outreach, student supervision, writing grants
- 10
- Represent group at collaborative meetings
- 5
- As agreed with line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the role, for example, contributing to the work of Institute committees
- 5
Person Profile
Education & Qualifications
- Requirement
- Importance
- PhD in Bioinformatics, Population Genetics, Ecology or Microbiology, or equivalent experience
- Essential
Specialist Knowledge & Skills
- Requirement
- Importance
- Programming skills (python or R, bash)
- Essential
- Ability to work independently on research projects
- Essential
- Initiative and a desire to learn, to innovate, and to move out of their comfort zone
- Essential
- Ability to troubleshoot and solve problems
- Essential
Relevant Experience
- Requirement
- Importance
- Machine learning/AI knowledge
- Essential
- Proven track-record of research output at the appropriate level
- Essential
- Familiarity with DNA sequencing related bioinformatics
- Essential
- Metagenomics (high-resolution, MAGs)
- Desirable
- Fermentation microbiomes
- Desirable
- Experience of grant writing
- Desirable
- 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
Who We Are
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 metagenomics to research the diversity, community interactions, and evolution of microbes in communities. Currently the group has projects in both human associated and environmental (food, soil) microbiomes, for which custom bioinformatic solutions are developed in-house to enable a wholistic microbiome exploration (e.g. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.15314). The group explored the limits of using strain-resolved metagenomics for medical gains, and to understand microbiome structures (doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.024 , 10.1101/2024.09.09.24313184 , 10.1016/j.chom.2021.05.008). See www.falk.science for group information, and https://github.com/falklab for software.
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 Quadram), 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 Prof Hildebrand.
Living in Norfolk
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Research Scientist (Data Science)
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Scientist position in the Hildebrand group at the Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB), Norwich, UK.
Background:
Microbial fermentation of plant-based foods is increasingly used to recreate the taste, texture, and nutritional qualities of meat, while improving environmental sustainability. Optimizing the production of plant-based foods and ensuring consumer acceptance remain important challenges, further complicated by new and diverse fermentation approaches.
The role:
In the FlavourFerm consortium, partners are developing novel fermented plant-based foods. This advertised research position will investigate how these foods influence the human gut microbiome and offer potential benefits to host health. Further, taste and texture of these foods will be predicted from microbial fermentation consortia. Specifically, microbes will be identified that affect fermentation outcomes. Building on previous work from the host group (doi:10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.024; doi:10.1093/nar/gkaf1388), we will develop machine learning tools to model microbial communities and their impact.
In the longer term, this research will support the development of human-centric fermented foods that are safe, appealing, and environmentally sustainable.
The environment:
The successful applicant will work within the Hildebrand and Traka groups, integrated in the H2020 international FlavourFerm consortium (https://www.flavourferm.eu/). Prof Hildebrand (https://falk.science) studies the diversity, interactions, and evolution of microbial communities using high-resolution metagenomics and custom software tools. The group is jointly based at the Quadram Institute Bioscience and the Earlham Institute developing widely used bioinformatic tools (https://github.com/falklab).
Dr Traka leads the UK national resource Food & Nutrition National Bioscience Research Infrastructure, focused on automated food categorization using AI.
FlavourFerm combines microbiologists, machine learning and food scientists, to develop the next generation of healthy and sustainable nutrition. The project requires close collaborations across Europe attendance and participation in workshops and consortium meetings is required.
The ideal candidate:
The ideal applicant holds a PhD (or equivalent) in biology, bioinformatics, computer science or a related discipline, being experienced in bioinformatics, (meta)genomic data, and microbiology. Specifically, knowledge in AI, machine learning, microbial pathogens, microbiology of fermentation, comparative genomics and analysing microbial communities will be of benefit. Specialized skills will be taught and developed through mentorship and collaborations.
Additional information:
Salary on appointment will be within the range £37,500 to £43,350 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full-time post until 30 April 2028.
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.
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sectors of society. The Institute supports equality of opportunity within the workplace and expects 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 located on the Norwich Research Park, one of Europe’s largest single-site concentrations of research in food, genomics, and health. The Park hosts four BBSRC institutes (including Quadram), around 17,000 students, 3,000 researchers and clinicians, and more than 115 companies. Its researchers are internationally recognized, with 10 scientists ranked among the top 1% of the world’s most highly cited, including Prof Hildebrand (2024 & 2025).
Norwich is regularly ranked among the top UK cities to live in, known for its historic city centre and vibrant food and coffee culture. In 2026 it was named the “best UK city to live in” (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly0yypx426o).
The closing date for applications will be 17 May 2026. Interviews are planned for week commencing 1st June 2026.
The Quadram Institute Bioscience is a registered charity (No. 1058499) and is an Equal Opportunities Employer.