Postdoc Research Fellow Level 1 or 2, UCD, Temp 24 months

Applications are invited for a temporary post of a Post-doctoral Research Fellow Level 1 or 2 within UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science. This position is part of a Research Ireland funded project "AG-MICRO: Promoting Sustainable Agriculture through Microbe-Microbe and Microbe-Plant interactions" lead by Dr Olga Lastovetsky. The aim of the project is to explore how interactions between endosymbiotic bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) affect fungal biology and the interaction between AMF and crop plants. AMF are widespread plant root symbionts that are of rising interest in sustainable agriculture as alternatives to mineral fertiliser. AMF can form intimate associations with bacteria, including "endobacteria", which live inside fungal cells, but the role of the most prevalent AMF endobacteria (Candidatus Moeniiplasma glomeromycotorum) remains unknown. The role of this postdoctoral research position is to explore the molecular bases of endobacterial-fungal and endobacterial-fungal-plant interactions using transcriptomics, metabolomics and proteomics. This will include data collection through laboratory-, greenhouse- and field-based experiments and data analysis using bioinformatics. This position is research-focused, with opportunities for professional development in areas such as communication and dissemination of results including presentations at local and international conferences, manuscript writing, and supervising students. PD1 Salary: €46,805 - €53,391 per annum; PD2 Fixed Salary: €54,850 per annumAppointment on the above range will be dependent upon qualifications and experience. Closing date: 12:00 noon (local Irish time) on 03/06/2026.Applications must be submitted by the closing date and time specified. Any applications which are still in progress at the closing time of 12:00 noon (Local Irish Time) on the specified closing date will be cancelled automatically by the system. UCD are unable to accept late applications.UCD do not require assistance from Recruitment Agencies. Any CV's submitted by Recruitment Agencies will be returned. The PD1 position is intended for early stage researchers, either just after completion of a PhD or for someone entering a new area for the first time. If you have already completed your PD1 stage in UCD or will soon complete a PD1, or you are an external applicant whose total Postdoctoral experience, inclusive of the duration of the advertised post, would exceed 4 years, you should not apply and should refer to PD2 posts instead. The PD2 post is intended for researchers that have completed PD1. As with the PD1, if you have already completed your PD2 stage in UCD or will soon complete a PD2, or your total Postdoctoral experience, inclusive of the duration of the advertised post, would exceed 6 years, you should not apply and should refer to Research Fellow posts instead.

Prior to application, further information (including application procedure) should be obtained from the Work at UCD website: https://www.ucd.ie/workatucd/jobs/