PhD: Wheat Root Microbiome & Plant-Microbe Interactions

University of East Anglia; Norwich; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition covered

Stipend provided

Job summary

The University of East Anglia is offering a Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD studentship hosted at the John Innes Centre and Earlham Institute. The project investigates how wheat roots recruit beneficial soil microbes in response to pathogen challenge, using molecular, metabolomic and bioinformatic analyses to understand metabolite secretion and microbiome recruitment.

The successful candidate will join a dynamic, collaboration-focused team with access to

Qualifications

• Background in soil or plant microbiology and molecular biology.
• Experience with data analysis and interpretation of sequencing/metabolomics datasets.
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and communicate findings.

Responsibilities

• Analyse wheat split-root microcosms to study plant‑microbe interactions.
• Perform molecular and metabolomics analyses to link root metabolites with microbiome recruitment.
• Apply bioinformatic approaches to characterize microbial community responses.
• Contribute to disseminating results through reports and publications.

Skills

Soil microbiology

Bioinformatics

Molecular techniques

Education

PhD in a relevant field

Tools

Metabolomics

Bioinformatics tools

Job description

The University of East Anglia is offering a Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD studentship hosted at the John Innes Centre and Earlham Institute. The project investigates how wheat roots recruit beneficial soil microbes in response to pathogen challenge, using molecular, metabolomic and bioinformatic analyses to understand metabolite secretion and microbiome recruitment.

The successful candidate will join a dynamic, collaboration-focused team with access to