Postdoctoral Researchers
Postdoctoral Researchers work with limited supervision to carry out individual and collaborative research projects relevant to the overall needs of the research programme. Working as part of a team led by Phil Carella, you will perform key experiments aimed at understanding immune processes in divergent land plants like Marchantia polymorpha and Nicotiana benthamiana. The role will provide you with a broad range of stimulating activities, including:
* Evolutionary and molecular dissection of diverse immune modules
* Synthetic biology approaches to engineer novel immune mechanisms in plants
* Experience with a wide range of plant pathogenic microbes.
In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop your skills in the emerging field of Evo-MPMI (evolutionary molecular plant-microbe interactions). You will also work with world leading scientists who are experts in their field.
Key Relationships
Internal: Line manager, group members and, as necessary, other researchers, research support staff and students across the Institute. External: Collaborators
Main Activities & Responsibilities
Identify, plan, carry out and modify experiments to meet the objectives of the project; prepare results, reports and manuscripts for publication in leading scientific journals and other relevant media; disseminate research findings through presentations to various audiences at internal, national and international meetings; collaborate with colleagues within the Institute in the development of original and world‑class research, including contributing to research proposals and grant applications; ensure research and record keeping is carried out in accordance with good practice, Scientific Integrity and in compliance with local policies and any legal requirements; contribute to the smooth running of the group, including the effective use of resources, supervision of visitors to the laboratory and assisting with training others, encouraging scientific excellence; continually strive for excellence, seeking out and acting on feedback and relevant learning and development opportunities; 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.
Person Profile
Education & Qualifications
Requirement | Importance | PhD (full award or expected within 6 months) or equivalent in Plant Molecular Biology & Biochemistry (or related discipline) | Essential BSc or equivalent in Biology | Essential
Specialist Knowledge & Skills
Requirement | Importance | Molecular Cloning Experience (Goldengate, MoClo, Gibson, etc.) | Essential Plant transformation (stable and/or transient) | Essential Biochemistry (immunoblotting, co‑immunoprecipitation, protein purification, etc.) | Essential Plant pathology (infection assays, phenotyping, etc.) | Essential Comparative genomics & Evolutionary analyses (phylogenetics, ancestral state reconstruction, sequence/structure similarity testing, RNA‑sequencing, etc.) | Essential CRISPR/Cas‑mutagenesis in plants (Marchantia ideally) | Desirable Experience with plant tissue culture | Desirable
Requirement | Importance | Experience of oral research presentations | Essential Demonstrated ability to perform research and develop novel ideas | Essential Proven record in scientific writing | Essential Preparing data / information for grant proposals | Desirable Experience of supervising, training and mentoring visitors and students | Desirable
Interpersonal & Communication Skills
Requirement | Importance | Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to present complex information with clarity | Essential Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work as part of a team | Essential Demonstrated ability to work independently, using initiative and applying problem solving skills | Essential Excellent time management and organisational skills | Essential Ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders | Essential Ability to follow instructions/Standard Operating Procedures | Essential
Additional Requirements
Requirement | Importance | Attention to detail | Essential Promotes equality and values diversity | Essential Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of all staff at the Institute, ensuring it is a great place to work | Essential Able to present a positive image of self and the Institute, promoting both the international reputation and public engagement aims of the Institute | Essential Ability to maintain confidentiality and security of information where appropriate | Essential Willingness to work outside standard working hours when required | Essential Ability to undertake occasional travel (national and international) related to collaborations and/or seminars | Essential
Who We Are
The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant and microbial genetics, carrying out fundamental and strategic research, to train scientists and making our findings available to society.
Our research makes use of a wide range of disciplines in the biological and chemical sciences including; cell biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics and molecular biology.
We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive working environment for all. We have a diverse and multicultural scientific community and thrive on our European and international links, appointing staff from across the world. Any candidate who would like further information on current or anticipated immigration requirements can contact the HR Team on +44 (0)1603 450888 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk.
We are proud to hold a prestigious Athena SWAN Gold award, recognising the impact of our work in promoting gender equality in science. We are also a proud member of the Stonewall Diversity Champion’s programme, a founding signatory of the Technician Commitment and, as a Disability Confident employer, guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852), limited by guarantee (registered in England No. 511709).
Department
Cell & Developmental Biology
Development continues throughout the life of the plant. While many linear pathways affecting development have been discovered and are illustrated by elegant genetic studies, the challenge of the future will be for us to understand how these developmental pathways are integrated, both with themselves as well as with environmental signals, to enable a mature plant to grow from a seed. Guided by evolutionary principles, the Department uses its knowledge of biological processes obtained in laboratory organisms such as Arabidopsis to understand processes in crop plants such as Brassicas and cereals. To study this interaction of the plant genome with internal developmental networks and the environment, the Department uses a combination of genetic, cell biological, molecular and evolutionary strategies. The insights we are gaining provide both an increasingly detailed knowledge of the proteins involved in diverse regulatory mechanisms and a conceptual framework in which this knowledge can be related and eventually integrated into a molecular description of plant cell function. The knowledge the department is creating is relevant to agriculture. Genes that control plant stature, form, over‑wintering responses and growth are potentially useful for improving crop performance.
We are a curious, enthusiastic, and innovative research group exploring the diversity of defence responses that evolved to protect land plants from pathogen infection. Using comparative macroevolutionary and molecular genetic approaches, our group explores widely‑distributed and lineage‑specific aspects of immunity that will inform future efforts to protect plants from harmful pathogens.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Salary: £37,500 – 45,350 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.
Contract: 30 months, full‑time
Location: John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK.
Closing date: 18 January 2026
Reference: 1005010
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Carella Group at the John Innes Centre, working on cutting‑edge science in the field of Evo‑MPMI (Evolutionary Molecular Plant‑Microbe Interactions).
About the John Innes Centre:
The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant and microbial sciences. We nurture a creative, curiosity‑led approach to answering fundamental questions in bioscience, and translate that knowledge into societal benefits. Our strategic vision, Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet sets out our ambitious long‑term goals for the game‑changing impact of our science globally.
Our employees enjoy access to state‑of‑the‑art technology and a diverse range of specialist training opportunities, including support for leadership and management. Click here to find out more about working at the John Innes Centre.
About the Carella Group:
We are a curious, enthusiastic, and innovative research group exploring the diversity of defence responses that evolved to protect land plants from pathogen infection. Using comparative macroevolutionary and molecular genetic approaches, our group explores widely‑distributed and lineage‑specific aspects of immunity that will inform future efforts to protect plants from harmful pathogens.
The role:
Working as part of a team led by Phil Carella, you will perform key experiments aimed at identifying and understanding immune processes that evolved in divergent land plants like the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. The role will provide you with a broad range of stimulating activities, including:
* Molecular dissection of lineage‑specific immune receptors/modules
* Synthetic biology approaches to engineer novel immune mechanisms in plants
* Experience with a wide range of plant pathogenic microbes.
In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop your skills in the emerging field of Evo‑MPMI (evolutionary molecular plant‑microbe interactions). You will also work with world‑leading scientists who are experts in their field.
The ideal candidate:
You will have a PhD in Molecular Biology and/or Biochemistry. You will have in‑depth knowledge of organismal immunity, a general understanding of evolution, and demonstrable experience in molecular biology/microbiology.
Additional information:
This role meets the criteria for a visa application, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Where the successful applicant requires a visa, we will fund the costs for their visa and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Please contact the Human Resources Team if you have any questions regarding your application or visa options.
We are an equal‑opportunity employer, actively supporting inclusivity and diversity. As a Disability Confident organisation, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy. We are proud to hold a prestigious Gold Athena SWAN award in recognition of our inclusive culture, commitment and good practices towards advancing gender equality. We offer an exciting, stimulating, diverse research environment and actively promote a family‑friendly workplace. The Institute is also a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme.
The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852) grant‑aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
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