Postdoctoral Researcher in Microbial Ecology (Agriculture, Remote)

Job summary

This position focuses on enhancing the understanding of ecological principles influencing microbial bioinoculant success. The role involves creating a knowledge framework for the effective field application of microbial biostimulants and biopesticides, collaborating with various stakeholders including farmers and regulatory bodies.

Qualifications

• PhD in microbiology, microbial ecology, biotechnology, environmental engineering, or agriculture.
• Hands-on experience in at least 3 of the following areas: designing complex synthetic communities, microbiome data analysis in R or Python, studying microbial colonization in plant microcosms, investigating biostimulant mechanisms, knowledge of regulatory landscapes for microbial bioinoculants, and experience with large-scale field trials.

Responsibilities

• Design and refine synthetic communities to simulate diverse soil microbial environments.
• Investigate bioinoculant colonization under various soil, host, and microbial factors.
• Track bioinoculant populations and community dynamics of the resident microbiome.
• Use multi-variate analysis to integrate microbiome and plant data to identify ecological drivers of bioinoculant success.
• Supervise PhD/MSc/BSc students and support project activities.
• Communicate with farmers, regulatory bodies, stakeholders, and industry partners.

Skills

• Proficiency in microbiome data analysis tools (R or Python).
• Strong analytical skills for ecological data interpretation.
• Excellent communication skills for cross-sector collaboration.

Education

• A completed PhD in a relevant field is required.

Tools

• Experience with data analysis software (R, Python).
• Familiarity with synthetic community design and field trial methodologies.