Research Fellow (Biological Sciences)

Job Description

The NUS Environmental Research Institute (NERI), a university-level research institute, National University of Singapore, is looking for a Research Fellow to work with Dr Darren Sim on an interdisciplinary project on plant microbiomes and their potential to emphasize desirable traits in their host plants.

Our research is expected to utilize the following techniques: standard microbiology techniques, plant cultivation, isolating and culturing microorganisms from fresh plant samples, screening assays for microbial traits, NGS genotyping, and chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The successful candidate will work within a diverse research environment with research scopes including crop physiology, phytochemistry, microbial ecology, and tropical environmental microbiology. They are also expected to participate in knowledge-sharing activities (e.g., journal club, consultation, mentorship) with fellow lab members and students.

The main responsibilities of the position include:

• Designing and executing research works related to host plant-microbiome interactions and identifying desirable microbial traits.
• Bioinformatics analysis of environmental microbial DNA.

Qualifications

Qualifications / Discipline:

Candidate should hold or will be obtaining a PhD in one of the disciplines below:

• Plant sciences, horticulture, agriculture, or related fields.
• Environmental microbiology, microbial physiology, or related fields.
• Bioinformatics, computational biology, or related fields.

Skills:

• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills and able to work well in an interdisciplinary team.
• Highly motivated and independent.
• Enthusiastic about learning new skills/techniques.
• Critical thinking and scientific achievement in research, exemplified by publications, conference presentations or patents.

Experience:
Excellent knowledge and mastery in one or more of the skillsets below:

• Plant biology, cultivation, or horticulture experience.
• Interpreting and analysing metabolome and microbiome data.
• Cell culture experience (e.g., plant cell, bacteria, fungi).
• Experience with assay design (plant or microbial).
• Computational skills for analysing microbiome and/or metabolome data.

More Information

Location: Kent Ridge Campus
Organization: Science
Department: Biological Sciences
Job requisition ID: 21965