3 Temporary, Biotechnology / Life Sciences jobs in Musselburgh, East Lothian

Research Fellow Lecturer in Gut Microbiology

CAPTION: Job details

• Posting date: 31 March 2025
• Salary: £36,678 to £42,470 per year
• Hours: Full time
• Closing date: 30 April 2025
• Location: EH9 3JG
• Remote working: On-site only
• Company: SRUC
• Job type: Contract
• Job reference: REQ0266-62309

Summary

About The Team:

Funding has been secured as part of the UK-CGIAR Centre to support two research fellows to develop a new research program on establishing new phenotypes for forage improvement based on rumen function and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The Opportunity:

Building on a successful proof of principal project, the fellows will work with Professor Jamie Newbold at SRUC to investigate the application of rumen based phenotyping to forage and crop residue improvement in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The project is in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) to implement solutions in country and with the proposed Centre for Livestock and Climate Solutions for Low- and Medium-Income Countries to engage with regional bodies, national governments, NARES, funders, regional development banks, and other partners to align research and innovation with regional development policies and strategies, validated and contextualized with stakeholders.

The project aims to provide the underpinning knowledge to introduce new phenotypes for the improvement of forages and crop residues through plant breeding. To achieve this, we will use already collected forage and by-product samples to develop and verify high throughput screens to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, animal health, and animal productivity in vitro. We will verify these results in animal trials (in Ethiopia) and use these new rumen centred phenotypes to develop a novel index to describe the emissions associated with the plant material, opening the possibility of using GWAS and/or targeted genetic engineering to develop new forages and crop by-products.

The post will be based within the gut microbiology laboratory within SRUC and is expected to utilize in vitro models to complement the existing large animal strengths with SRUC and our partner organisations, together with establishing the associated analytical platforms for microbial characterisation and fermentation product analysis. The post holder will be required to travel to and on occasion work in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, the post holder will be expected to contribute significantly to the publication record of SRUC and will have a track record of publishing in refereed journals.

The post holder will be expected to develop strong linkages with colleagues within SRUC, ILRI, and EIAR but also to establish linkages into the commercial sector and internationally to drive future funding to establish a long-term research program. The post holder will be expected to supervise technical staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students together with interims and visitors to the laboratory. In addition, the post holder may be expected to undertake a limited amount of postgraduate/undergraduate teaching and to develop new modules in response to demand identified in the SRUC review of teaching.

These are fixed term roles for 2 years.

Minimum Qualifications:

Educated to SCQF Level 12 or equivalent. BSc / PhD in Agricultural or Biological Science is essential. A teaching qualification and a home office personal licence to work with living animals would be desirable.

Minimum experience:

It is essential that you have a publication record in the field of animal science/rumen microbiology along with experience of rumen microbiology, analytical chemistry, and knowledge of biological science, animal science, and rumen microbiology.

Desirable attributes include: Experience in the use of molecular biology to characterise gut microbial populations, establishing new analytical procedures, and cell culture. Student/staff supervision/teaching would be advantageous. Other useful experience and knowledge would be in the areas of establishing international networks, chromatography, anaerobic microbiology, and molecular microbiology.

Eligibility for Sponsorship:

This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.

Why work for SRUC?

• Generous annual leave
• Enhanced pension contributions
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted RAC Membership
• Generous family leave
• Flexible working patterns
• Hybrid working solutions (in some areas)
• Tailored investment in individuals' learning and development

How to Apply:

Please complete an online application form by pressing "apply". Please read the Job Particulars document before applying.

SRUC Leading the way in Agricultural and Rural Research, Education & Consultancy.

SRUC is committed to valuing Diversity, advancing Equality and respecting Human Rights throughout the organisation and encouraging applications from disabled people using the "Disability Confident Employer" symbol. SRUC is a member of the Athena SWAN charter.

SRUC. A Charitable company limited by guarantee, SC003712. Registered in Scotland No SC103046

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident

About Disability Confident: A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal, and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.

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Educated to SCQF Level 12 or equivalent. BSc / PhD in Agricultural or Biological Science is essential. A teaching qualification and a home office personal licence to work with living animals would be desirable. Minimum experience: It is essential that you have a publication record in the field of animal science/ rumen microbiology along with experience of rumen microbiology, analytical chemistry and knowledge of biological science, animal science and rumen microbiology. Desirable attributes include: Experience in the use of molecular biology to characterise gut microbial populations, establishing new analytical procedures and cell culture. Student /staff supervision / teaching would be advantageous. Other useful experience and knowledge would be in the areas of establishing international networks, chromatography, anaerobic microbiology and molecular microbiology. Eligibility for Sponsorship: This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route., Disability Confident About Disability Confident A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to .

Funding has been secured as part of the UK-CGIAR Centre to support two research fellows to develop a new research program on establishing new phenotypes for forage improvement based on rumen function and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Opportunity: Building on a successful proof of principal project, the fellows will, work with Professor Jamie Newbold at SRUC to investigate the application of rumen based phenotyping to forage and crop residue improvement in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia The project is in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) to implement solutions in country and with the proposed Centre for Livestock and Climate Solutions for Low- and Medium-Income Countries to engage with regional bodies, national governments, NARES, funders, regional development banks, and other partners to align research and innovation with regional development policies and strategies, validated and contextualized with stakeholders The project aims to provide the underpinning knowledge to introduce new phenotypes for the improvement of forages and crop residues through plant breeding. To achieve this will use already collected forage and by-product samples to develop and verify high throughput screens to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, animal health and animal productivity in vitro. We will verify these results in animal trials (in Ethiopia) and use these new rumen centred phenotypes to develop a novel index to describe the emissions associated with the plant material, opening the possibility of using GWAS and/or targeted genetic engineering to develop new forages and crop by products. The post will be based within the gut microbiology laboratory within SRUC and expected to utilize in vitro models to complement the existing large animal strengths with SRUC and our partner organisations together with establishing the associated analytical platforms for microbial characterisation and fermentation product analysis. The post holder will be required to travel to and on occasion work in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, the post holder will be expected to contribute significantly to the publication record of SRUC and will have a track record of publishing in refereed journals. The post holder will be expected to develop strong linkages with colleagues within SRUC, ILRI and EIAR but also to establish linkages into the commercial sector and internationally such as to drive future funding to establish a long-term research program. The post holder will be expected to supervise technical staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students together with interims and visitors to the laboratory. In addition, the post holder may be expected to undertake a limited amount of postgraduate/ undergraduate teaching and to develop new modules in response to demand identified in the SRUC review of teaching., SRUC Leading the way in Agricultural and Rural Research, Education & Consultancy. SRUC is committed to valuing Diversity, advancing Equality and respecting Human Rights throughout the organisation and encouraging applications from disabled people using the "Disability Confident Employer" symbol. SRUC is a member of the Athena SWAN charter. SRUC. A Charitable company limited by guarantee, SC003712. Registered in Scotland No SC103046

Why work for SRUC?

• Generous annual leave
• Enhanced pension contributions
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted RAC Membership
• Generous family leave
• Flexible working patterns
• Hybrid working solutions (in some areas)
• Tailored investment in and individuals' learning and development