Research Associate / Fellow - Root oxygen dynamics and development (Fixed-Term) in Sutton Bonington

Location: Sutton Bonington

Salary: £31,387 to £46,485 per annum, depending on skills and experience (minimum £35,608 with relevant PhD). Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.

Interview Date: To be confirmed

Reference: SCI591926X1

Applications are invited to join an ERC‑funded research programme in the laboratory of Dr Vinay Shukla. The position is part of the project BreathingUnderground, which explores how oxygen availability within plant roots shapes development, physiology and adaptive responses. The overall aim of the project is to understand how internal oxygen landscapes arise in roots and how these spatial differences are sensed and integrated with developmental programmes. The work will focus on mechanisms operating at the interface of root tissue organisation, signalling pathways and environmental constraints, using Arabidopsis thaliana as a primary model system.

Role overview: The postholder will investigate how internal root environments influence developmental decisions and tissue differentiation, with a particular emphasis on how signalling pathways respond to sustained changes in oxygen availability. The role will contribute to defining how physical and biological features of roots interact to modulate internal conditions and coordinate growth.

• Examine how tissue organization and barriers influence internal signalling states.
• Identify transcriptional mechanisms linking oxygen status to root patterning.
• Integrate molecular and imaging data into a spatio-temporal developmental framework.

Research environment and approaches: The project is highly interdisciplinary. The successful candidate will combine experimental and analytical approaches from plant development, physiology and molecular biology, including genetic and molecular analyses in Arabidopsis using mutants, transgenic lines and reporters; advanced imaging and quantitative phenotyping to resolve root structure and cellular responses at high spatial resolution; and transcriptomic and chromatin-based approaches to identify regulatory pathways underlying environmentally responsive root development. The postholder will work closely with the BreathingUnderground team and an international network of collaborators, contributing to a high-profile, curiosity-driven ERC project at the interface of plant development and environmental biology.

Candidate profile: Applicants should be highly motivated, intellectually curious and able to work independently within a collaborative research environment. Candidates must hold a PhD (or be close to completion) in Plant Sciences, Plant Molecular Biology, Plant Physiology or a related discipline. Experience in some of the following areas would be advantageous:

• Cellular or molecular responses related to environmental signals, preferably low oxygen signalling.
• Confocal or fluorescence microscopy and quantitative image analysis.
• Gene expression analysis, transcriptomics or chromatin-based methods.

A strong publication record appropriate to career stage, excellent communication skills and a willingness to engage in collaborative research and short research visits are essential. This is a full-time, fixed-term position available until 30/04/2029. Your application will be considered on an equal basis, subject to the relevant permission to work in the UK as set out by UK Visas & Immigration.