Post Doctoral Research Fellow (FTC)

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position to work on a project seeking to identify anatomical and physiological mechanisms underlying maize yield stability under conditions of reduced water availability in the laboratory of Dr. Gabriel Castrillo (Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham, UK).

The purpose of this role is to support a multidisciplinary BBSRC-funded project “Future proofing plants through enhancement of yield stability in water-limited environments”. Climate change is arguably the most important anthropogenically-driven factor that will affect agricultural production and the downstream effects globally, with water availability being a focal component. Thus, a systemic approach to understand the dynamic soil-plant-atmosphere system is critical to making advances in crop yield improvement under limited water conditions. A key focus of this new role is to assess the impact of drought on plant mineral nutrients accumulation and microbiota composition and function in a collection of maize germplasm exhibiting diverse levels of yield stability under drought stress. The high-level objective of the research is to characterize the processes of water movement through the soil-root-stem-leaf-atmosphere system and reveal those traits at each point in the system that contribute to enhanced yield stability in maize. The successful candidate will work in close collaboration with the partners of the project, especially at Purdue University, USA and IPK, Germany. This post offers a unique opportunity to work in the fields of plant-microbiota interactions and plant nutrition.

Applicants must be highly motivated and self-driven, with a PhD in a relevant plant sciences area (a PhD topic on plant-microbiota interactions is desirable). It is desirable for the successful candidate to have considerable experience in some of the following areas: plant science, plant-microbiota interactions, microbiology, plant nutrition. A track record of publishing research is essential.

This is a full-time, fixed-term post (36.25 hours) and is available from 1st September 2025 on a fixed term contract until 31st July 2028.

For more information on our lab activities please visit: www.gabrielcastrillo.com