Biologist Postdoctoral Fellow

In this exciting role, you will engineer key microbes involved in plant-root communities, to study plant–microbe interactions in engineered ecosystems, particularly those involving Sorghum. Using genetic, proteomic, and metabolomic and other functional genomics approaches, you will investigate microbial stress tolerance and resilience mechanisms, including biofilm formation, regulatory systems, stress responses, and horizontal gene transfer. You will also assess how microbial engineering affects community stability, root colonization, and persistence within plant microbiomes.

What You Will Do

• Engineer rhizosphere-colonizing microbes for use in monocultures and designed communities within laboratory systems, including EcoFABs and EcoPOD.
• Develop quantitative assays to assess microbial stress responses, nutrient availability, salt tolerance, iron sequestration, membrane integrity, and metabolic effects.
• Investigate plant–microbe interactions under varying environmental conditions.
• Optimize methods to isolate microbes, biofilms, extracellular matrices, and microbial DNA from complex rhizosphere samples.
• Use functional genomics tools, including RB-TnSeq libraries and transposon mutant collections, to identify and validate genetic fitness determinants.
• Analyze high-throughput, omics, and sequencing data using statistical methods such as PCA and correlation analysis.
• Participate in group meetings, project discussions, and seminars.
• Lead the preparation and authorship of peer-reviewed publications.
• Maintain detailed, reproducible experimental records.
• Collaborate with the m-CAFEs and EcoPOD teams to conduct research.
• Train research assistants and support lab members with experimental, computational, and data analysis methods.
• Contribute to research proposals, peer-reviewed publications, and invention disclosures.
• Oversee and maintain assigned laboratory equipment or areas.
• Maintain electronic lab notebooks, research data, and microbial strain and plasmid archives.
• Prepare detailed semiannual reports to support peer-reviewed publications.

What is Required

• A recent Ph.D. (within the last 1-2 years) in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Plant Biology or a related field.
• Relevant experience in plant-microbe interactions, examining microbes in soil, rhizosphere, and plant-microbe systems.
• Experience in large scale sequencing data analysis and bioinformatics tools (e.g., gene fitness profiling, PCA, and heat maps).
• Experience with using and developing genetics tools (e.g., transposon mutagenesis, targeted gene knockouts, and plasmid construction).
• Experience working with a range of microbial systems, specifically plant-associated rhizobacteria, such as Paraburkholderia and other bacterial species.
• Experience with mesocosms, microcosms, or controlled plant growth facilities.
• Strong track-record of publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including experience documenting research activities, analyzing results, and presenting findings for a variety of audiences.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to identify problems, troubleshoot, and demonstrate good judgement in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills, including experience collaborating with an interdisciplinary research team in a multi-disciplinary scientific or production environment.

Desired Qualifications

• Direct experience operating mesocosms (e.g., lysimeters, EcoPODs) or controlled artificial ecosystem platforms.
• Experience working with non-model plant-associated bacteria, and grass host systems, such as Sorghum.
• Knowledge of microbial mechanisms involved in organic stress tolerance, tolerance mechanisms such as RND efflux pumps, membrane integrity, signaling networks, regulation and biofilm formation.
• Demonstrated leadership capability in delegating tasks and mentoring early career research personnel.