JOB DESCRIPTION
Job title:
Early Stage Researcher - seed and seedling phenomics
Grade:
The salary is calculated under the provisions of the EU for the ESR positions in Marie
Curie Actions
Group:
Ecological Sciences
Reporting to:
Pete Iannetta
Staff reporting to
post holder:
None
Main purpose of
job:
To carry out research on for seed and seedling phenomics and including
1) A functional (phenotypic and molecular characterisation) of intraspecific variation
among individual accessions of wild forage legumes. Specifically: fecundity (seed
multiplication ex situ); seed germination and dormancy traits; the architecture of
seedling roots and shoots, and; nodulation and biological nitrogen fixation (including
the isolation and characterisation of nodulating root bacteria).
2) To use the information from 1) to carry out re-establishment trials aimed to discern
trait combinations that might allow the reintroduction and/or co-existence of the
characterised legume types with non-legumes (in different environments). There will
be a specific focus on rhizodeposition (of nitrogen) and temperature tolerance among
isolates of nodule bacteria.
1)
Main duties of post
holder:
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Plants culture: of wild legume species in controlled environment for
phenotypic characterisation of seedlings and mature plants: and for seed
multiplication.
Phenotypic characterisation of plant material: grown in controlled
environments.
Sampling and processing dried plant material: especially with respect to
determining %Ndfa (nitrogen derived from air) and biological nitrogen fixation
by legumes - using the 15N based Natural Abundance technique.
Seed testing: to enable seed germination and to assess seed germination and
dormancy.
Microbiological skills: for the isolation and characterisation of nodulating root
bacteria.
Molecular skills: in plant and/or root nodule bacteria genotyping.
Field experimentation: to carry out re-establishment trials.
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PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential
Desirable
Attainments:
Education /
qualifications
There are four essential criteria A Master Degree, or an equivalent
qualification in plant and environmental
sciences, or a related discipline
Specific qualifications in experience in wild
plant and seed science
Have no-more than 4 years of research
experience from the time of their
graduation
Must not have resided or worked within
the UK within the three years prior to
their deadline of their application
Experience:
Growing plants in controlled-glasshouse
environments and field environments.
Characterisation of wild plant functional
traits: especially wild legumes.
Seed testing: of germination and
dormancy.
Sampling and processing plant material for
analytical chemistry based methods
Microbiological skills: for the isolation and
characterisation of nodulating root bacteria.
Molecular skills: in plant and/or root nodule
bacteria genotyping
Skills:
Technical
Wild plant ecology and native seed
science (wild plant culture and seed
testing)
Skills in molecular biology (plant and
microbial) and plant phenotyping
Written
communication
Experience of report writing
Scientific writing for peer-review
Verbal
communication
Experience of delivering presentations
Experience in giving presentations to peers
at international scientific meetings
Management
Evidence of working effectively with a
team
Specific training in leadership
Interpersonal
Evidence of be tolerance and flexibility
Evidence of leading a research team
Administrative
Excellent record keeping (lab book) and
data recording
Statistics skills
Leadership
Evidence of leading by example.
Evidence of setting and achieving team
goals.
Motivation
Evidence of strong interest in restoration
Why would they want this job? - A
Liz Stewart / Version 3 / 12 Dec 2013 / Page 2 of 5
and conservation of/with wild plants e.g.
evidence of their experience and/ or
success in this career to date.
justification which might support the
possibility that the candidate will be
dedicated to this area of research in the
long-term
Other skills
(please specify)
Other
requirements
(please specify)
The successful candidate will be based within the Agroecology Group of Ecological
Sciences at the James Hutton Institute (Dundee site), as a ‘Marie Curie Research Fellow’.
This prestigious appointment forms important component of a European Union-Marie
Curie funded ‘Initial Training Network called ‘NAtive Seed Science, TEchnology and
Conservation’, (NASSTEC). This is also a ‘mobility fellowship’.
Applications for this post will accepted from researchers of all nationalities, applicants
wishing to work within the UK must be entitled to do so before they can be employed.
NASSTECs aim is to ensure that future environmental mitigation and adaptation projects
which utilise wild native species can have increased impact. Towards that end, this
position will integrate knowledge in geobotany, seed biology and agricultural botany via
a state-of-the-art research programme in native seed science and conservation. The
successful candidate will therefore be expected to register for a PhD at the University of
Pavia (Italy), and to their “Experimental Ecology and Geobotany” PhD programme.
The NASSTEC scientific and training network embraces a total of 11 projects, and each
project will reside within one of three sub programmes: A, In-situ seed sampling (3
projects); B, Seed biology characterisation (4 projects), and; C, Production and
deployment of seed (3 projects). This post-serves sub-category A, and the main duties
will involve sampling (F1) seeds from wild species found across range of different pedoclimatic conditions across altitudinal and latitudinal transects (across Europe). F1 seed
will be assessed for their germination and dormancy characteristics ex situ and to
generate an F2 seed population from which plants (seedlings and mature plants), may be
characterised for their functional attributes.
Signature of line
manager:
Science/BES Group
Leader signature:
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