Oferta compartida por Cristina
Kew Research Fellow - Seed and Stress Biology Research
We are seeking applications from promising early-career scientists with interesting, innovative, and viable research ideas for the Future Leader Fellowship in Plant and Fungal Science.
The Future Leader Fellowship in Plant and Fungal Science provides a unique opportunity for early-career researchers to develop their scientific portfolio and skills in a vibrant research environment, working with colleagues in Kew Science to make substantial contributions to challenges facing humanity.
Kew offers five Future Leader Fellowships each year, aligned to our five Research Priorities.
This Fellowship is within the Seed and Stress Biology Research Group within the Trait Diversity and Function Priority of the Kew Science Strategy. The successful candidate will be based at Wakehurst.
Hours of work
Full time
Contract Type
Fixed Term (FTA)
Contract start date
September 2022
Contract end date
4 years
Salary
£35,000 per annum
Directorate
Science
Location
Wakehurst, West Sussex
Closing Date
25/04/2022
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) is a leading plant science institute, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and major visitor attraction. Our mission is to understand and protect plants and fungi for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth.
We are working to end the unprecedented extinction crisis and to help create a world where nature is protected, valued by all and managed sustainably. We will achieve these goals by drawing on our leading scientific research, unrivalled collections of plants and fungi, global network of partners, inspirational gardens at Kew and Wakehurst, and our 260 years of history.
Join us on our journey as protectors of the world’s plants and fungi.
The successful applicants will form an integral part of our vibrant, dynamic and cross-disciplinary scientific environment and will gain direct access to the world’s most extensive plant and fungal collections along with state-of-the-art laboratory facilities.
Line managed by a senior researcher, the candidate will be benefit from opportunities for development that include – but are not limited to – training workshops on topics from grant writing to research impact, a mentorship programme, bi-annual meetings with the Director of Science, and other chances for researcher-led training. They will also be able to apply for secondment and research funding internally and are encouraged to use this funding to travel for their research.
We are seeking a highly motivated scientist to undertake research in seed and stress biology. Working with Kew’s seed and plant collections, you will pursue a research programme aligned to our ambitious strategy for Kew Science and Kew’s Manifesto for Change.
The successful candidate will help deliver the Trait Diversity and Function (TDF) Priority in Kew’s new science strategy. The overarching goal of TDF is to ‘understand plant and fungal traits, to aid conservation, increase resilience to global change, and explore their uses and benefits for human health and well-being.’
TDF will deliver this through 4 ambitious initiatives: Adaptation and Resilience; Biointeractions and Bioactive Molecules; Sustainable Agriculture; and Enhancing Survival. Working within the Seed and Stress Biology research group, this role will contribute primarily to Enhancing Survival.
Enhancing Survival has three deliverables that provide a framework for delivery of science. The research findings of the FLF in SSB may impact some or all of these deliverables:
1. The Kew Cryosphere (TKC) for research, training and biobanking, where scientists seek to understand and apply low temperature science to enhance ex situ conservation
2. TRAits for species Conservation and Environmental limits (TRACE), where we aim to understand oxygen, temperature and moisture stress tolerance for seed storage and use
3. Global Seed Information Facility (GSIF) - Seed trait information portal for multiple end-users. The research findings of the FLF in SSB may impact some or all these deliverables. The Kew Cryosphere, and associated science, is an urgent priority for Kew.
With such a diversity of expertise TDF a is working environment that encourages multidisciplinary research.
Reporting to the Senior Research Leader for Seed and Stress Biology, you will have a relevant PhD in seed functional traits, stress biology or cryobiology, and their applications.
Your research programme will benefit from access to a broad range of equipment relevant to making advances in an understanding of low temperature science (including differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis and cryomicroscopy), biochemistry (time-domain NMR, GC-MS, HPLC) and molecular biology.
You will also have access to Kew’s world leading collection of seeds in the Millennium Seed Bank. A main objective of the Seed and Stress Biology Group is to understand traits to inform species conservation and environmental limits. We take a comparative approach to biodiversity science, aim to develop predictive models for seed responses and seek impact from our work globally.
The salary will be £35,000 per annum.
Our fantastic benefits package includes opportunities for continuous learning, a generous annual leave entitlement, flexible working to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance, an Employee Assistance Programme and other wellbeing support such as cycle to work scheme and discounted gym membership. We also offer a competitive pension, an employee discount scheme and free entry into a wide range of national museums and galleries, as well access to our own beautiful gardens at Kew and Wakehurst.
If you are interested in this position, please submit your application through the online portal, by clicking “Apply for this job”.
We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
No agencies please.
Applicants must include a CV and a research plan as attachments on their online application form. The research plan does not have a set format but should not exceed three sides of A4. The research plan should provide an outline of what your plans would be for the four-year Fellowship, which will then be developed into a full research plan in collaboration with your line manager if successful.
