Area: Plant & Crop Sciences
Location: Sutton Bonington
Salary: £31,637 to £35,608 per annum, depending on skills and experience (£35,608 with relevant PhD). Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.
Closing Date: Friday 10 October 2025
Reference: SCI247425
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position to work on a BBSRC-funded project seeking to develop Temperature Resistant Rice by exploiting novel germplasm to deliver improved heat tolerance and future-proofed rice yields. The project is based in the laboratories of Prof Zoe Wilson and Erik Murchie (Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham, UK).
Rice reproduction, especially pollen development, and photosynthesis, are extremely sensitive to heat stress, resulting in major impacts to seed set, posing a significant threat to future yield and food security. This project aims to address the question of whether the failure of reproduction is due to pollen development being particularly sensitive to heat, or a secondary consequence of disruption of energy generation by impaired photosynthesis, or a combination of both. The work involves a partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, which will enable testing of rice germplasm under in-field conditions of heat stress.
Applicants must be highly motivated and self-driven, with a PhD in a relevant plant sciences area (experience in working with rice, plant reproduction, photosynthesis and advanced phenotyping is desirable). The successful candidate will have experience in some of the following areas: plant science, plant reproduction, photosynthesis, abiotic stress, rice cultivation and a track record of publishing research.
This is a full-time, fixed-term post (36.25 hours) and is available from 13th October 2025 on a fixed term contract until 12th October 2028.
For more information on our lab activities please contact zoe.wilson@nottingham.ac.uk or Erik.Murchie@nottingham.ac.uk.
Further details:
* Job Description/Role Profile
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