Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Metagenomics

The Earlham Institute; Norwich; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking research institute as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Metagenomics, where you'll contribute to groundbreaking projects aimed at achieving net-zero emissions through innovative soil health research. This role involves using advanced metagenomics and machine learning techniques to profile soil microbiomes and enhance agricultural practices. Collaborate with leading scientists in a vibrant research environment, access state-of-the-art facilities, and be part of a team dedicated to making a significant impact on climate resilience and biodiversity. If you're passionate about science and ready to tackle pressing environmental challenges, this opportunity is for you.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Access to state-of-the-art facilities

Collaborative research environment

Supportive workplace culture

Qualifications

• PhD in relevant field is essential.
• Experience in programming and machine learning is crucial.

Responsibilities

• Process and analyze soil metagenomes.
• Use machine learning to predict community states.
• Support outreach and supervise students.

Skills

Programming skills (C++, Perl, Python, R)

Machine learning

Statistics

Troubleshooting and problem-solving

Understanding of microbiomes

Education

PhD in Bioinformatics, Soil Science, Ecology or Microbiology

Tools

PacBio sequencing

ONT sequencing

Hi-C sequencing

Single cell sequencing

Job description

Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Metagenomics

Job Title Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Metagenomics Post Number 1004892 Closing Date 8 Jun 2025 Grade SC6 Starting Salary Salary: £36,720-£42,000

Hours per week 37 Project Title Characterisation of healthy soil microbiomes in net zero land use Expected/Ideal Start Date 01 Jul 2025 Months Duration 24 Interview Date 03 Jun 2025

Job Description

Main Purpose of the Job

Applications are invited for a Research Scientist to join the Laboratory of Dr Hildebrand at Earlham Institute, Norwich, UK.

This post is part of the OpenCLIM_LANDS project, that aims to provide the insights needed to put the UK on a path to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, achieved through climate resilient soil health, food security, and biodiversity net gain. In this multi-centre project, we will combine climate forecasting with latest advances in soil science to enable a unique perspective into land use under forecasted climate change scenarios.

In this post, we will address the following questions: How do soil microbes establish, contrinute and maintain healthy, biodiverse macro- & micro-communities, and how are these impacted by different land use scenarios? How can we use machine learning to predict soil microbiomes from either pristine or agriculturally used soils, predict their functional capacity (e.g. carbon storage)? What practices can help microbial soil communities recover? To answer these and more questions the OpenCLIM_LANDS (https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/news/article/new-project-to-benefit-net-zero-targets-soil-health-biodiversity-and-agriculture) multi-centre project was established.
The project holder will use metagenomics (similar to doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0386-6, 10.1111/1462-2920.15314) to profile both taxonomic and functional compositions of >3,000 newly sequenced soil sites. Using machine learning we will build comprehensive profiles of typically expected microbial profiles across soil sites (similar to doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.024) and their relation to soil health and carbon storage. Using a combination of robotics and third generation sequencing, we will use predictive microbial modelling to improve land use on existing agricultural sites. Long-term, this work will contribute to enabling microbially-informed agriculture, combating the impact of climate change and understanding how healthy soil microbiomes are established & maintained.

Key Relationships

The post holder will work closely with other group members, both line managers Dr Falk Hildebrand and Prof Chris Quince.
OpenCLIM_LANDS is a multi-centre UK collaboration between Earlham & Quadram Institutes, University of East Anglia, University of Leeds, Newcastle University and UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (see https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/news/article/new-project-to-benefit-net-zero-targets-soil-health-biodiversity-and-agriculture ). The applicant is expected to help in the supervision of junior group members and to represent the group at training. The applicant will have direct access to established PacBio/ONT, Hi-C and single cell sequencing facilities, as well as one of UK’s largest HPC cluster at the NRP.

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage Process and analyse soil metagenomes 30 Use machine learning/statistics to characterise & predict community states 30 Translate research into semi-automatic prediction of soil health for end-users 20 Support group with tasks such as outreach, student supervision, writing grants 15 As agreed with the line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the post, for example, contributing to the work of Institute committees 5

Person Profile

Education & Qualifications

Requirement Importance PhD in Bioinformatics, Soil science, Ecology or Microbiology, or equivalent experience Essential

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement Importance Programming skills (e.g. C++, Perl, python or R) Essential Ability to troubleshoot and solve problems Essential Initiative and a desire to learn, to innovate, and to move out of their comfort zone Essential Ability to work independently on research projects Desirable Understanding of microbiomes, preferably environmental Desirable

Requirement Importance Familiarity with sequencing related, metagenomics or soil microbial bioinformatics Essential Machine learning, advanced statistics or ecology experience Essential Proven track-record of research output at the appropriate level Essential Experience grant writing or 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 undertake any necessary training for the role Essential Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of all staff at the Institute, ensuring it is a great place to work Essential Ability to maintain confidentiality and security of information where appropriate Essential Able to present a positive image of self and the Institute, promoting both the international reputation and public engagement aims of the Institute Desirable Willingness to work outside standard working hours when required Desirable

Who We Are

About the Earlham Institute
The Earlham Institute is a hub of life science research, training, and innovation focused on understanding the natural world through the lens of genomics.

We are building a future where the biology of any organism can be understood by analysing its genome. Our mission is to decode the scale and complexity of living systems so we can understand, benefit from, and protect life on Earth.

The Earlham Institute is based on the Norwich Research Park and is one of eight institutes that receive strategic funding from the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC).

Our Science
Earlham Institute scientists specialise in developing and testing the latest tools and approaches needed to decode living systems and make predictions about biology.

We are home to state-of-the-art facilities and technology, creating a unique combination of expertise and infrastructure. We have dedicated laboratories for genome sequencing, single-cell analysis, engineering biology, and large-scale automation; as well as one of the largest supercomputing facilities for life science research in Europe. Our Advanced Training team also provides access to specialised scientific training to upskill the next generation of research and technical staff.

Our Culture
The Earlham Institute champions 'team science'. Our collegiate and innovative research environment comes with significant support, including a commitment to your professional development, research and administrative assistance, and opportunities to build collaborations with scientists and industry on the Norwich Research Park, across the UK, and internationally.

The Institute is also home to talented technical and operational staff, whose invaluable contributions enable our science to have the maximum impact. We aim to recognise, reward, and develop all staff and students so that every individual feels able to achieve their best with us.

We work hard to nurture an engaged and positive workplace, centred on core values that include openness, technical excellence, and collaboration. We attract staff from around the world who contribute to - and benefit from - an environment that enables them to deliver world-class science alongside a supportive and social community.

The Hildebrand group uses meta*omics to research the diversity, community interactions, and evolution of microbes in communities. Currently the group has projects in both human associated and environmental (soil, lakes) microbiomes, for which custom bioinformatic solutions are developed in-house to enable a wholistic microbiome exploration. We advocate strain-resolved metagenomics and develop the numerical solutions to work with MAGs intra-specific phylogenies. For representative publications relevant to the post please see (doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.024 , 10.1101/2024.09.09.24313184 , 10.1016/j.chom.2021.05.008) and www.falk.science for group information.

The Earlham 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 Earlham), 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 Dr Falk Hildebrand.

Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Metagenomics

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Scientist to join the Laboratory of Dr Hildebrand and Prof Quince in the Research Faculty of the Earlham Institute, based in Norwich, UK.

Background:

This post is part of the OpenCLIM_LANDS project, that aims at providing the insights needed to put the UK on a path to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, achieved through climate resilient soil health, food security, and biodiversity net gain. In this multi-centre project, we will combine climate forecasting with latest advances in soil science to enable a unique perspective into land use under forecasted climate change scenarios.

The role:

In this post, we will address the following questions: How do soil microbes establish, contribute and maintain healthy, biodiverse macro- & micro-communities, and how are these impacted by different land use scenarios? How can we use machine learning to predict soil microbiomes from either pristine or agriculturally used soils, predict their functional capacity (e.g. carbon storage)? What practices can help microbial soil communities recover? To answer these and more questions the OpenCLIM_LANDS multi-centre project was established.

The project holder will use metagenomics (similar to doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0386-6, 10.1111/1462-2920.15314) to profile both taxonomic and functional compositions of >3,000 newly sequenced soil sites. Using machine learning we will build comprehensive profiles of typically expected microbial profiles across soil sites (similar to doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.024) and their relation to soil health and carbon storage. Using a combination of robotics and third-generation sequencing, we will use predictive microbial modelling to improve land use on existing agricultural sites. Long-term, this work will enable microbially-informed agriculture, combating the impact of climate change and understanding how healthy soil microbiomes are established & maintained.

The environment:

The Hildebrand group uses metagenomics to research the diversity, community interactions, and evolution of microbes in communities using custom software solutions. The Quince group explores environmental and host-associated microbiomes using statistics and machine learning. Both groups are situated at the Norwich Research Park (NRP) UK, that integrates the 4 BBSRC Institutes, University of East Anglia (UEA), > 15 companies, 3,000 researchers and clinicians, and 17,000 students. Norwich ranked in the top 10 of UK cities with a historical town centre and an active food & coffee aficionado scene.

OpenCLIM_LANDS is a multi-centre UK collaboration between Earlham & Quadram Institutes, UEA, University of Leeds, Newcastle University, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, among others. The applicant will have direct access to established PacBio/ONT, Hi-C and single cell sequencing facilities, as well as one of UK’s largest HPC cluster on-site.

The ideal candidate:

The applicant needs to hold a PhD (or equivalent) in biology, bioinformatics, computer science or a related discipline with a background and/or interest in at least one of the following subjects:

- Microbiomes & biodiversity
- Metagenomics & patient cohorts
- Ecology & evolution

The ideal candidate will have experience in conducting scientific experiments independently, writing papers, presenting work and grant writing. Basic statistics and programming skills (either R, python, Perl, C++, or equivalent) is expected. Specialised skills will be taught and developed through mentorship and collaborations. The applicant is expected to help in the supervision of junior group members and to represent the group at trainings.

Additional information:

Salary on appointment will be within the range £36,720 to £42,000 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full-time post with an expected end date of September 2027, with the potential for extension.

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.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.

The closing date for applications will be 8 June 2025. Interviews will likely be held around 17 and/or 18 June 2025.