Research Scientist

Applications Close: 07 April 2026

Salary: £37,500 to £40,600 per annum depending on qualifications and experience

Contract Length: This is a full-time post until 31 March 2027

We’re looking for a Research Scientist to join the Laboratory of Mark Webber in our Microbes and Food Safety programme.

The post holder will join the Webber group as part of a consortium project (EB-MIND) studying bacterial responses to metal stress and will closely liaise with external partners. The Webber group studies bacterial responses to stress with a focus on genetic adaptation and evolution in varied bacterial species.

This project will exploit state of the art facilities for genomics, in particular the TraDIS-Xpress method developed at the Quadram Institute and will use mutant libraries in Shewanella and other organisms relevant to recovery of metals from contaminated environments.

This post will provide a stimulating, multidisciplinary training environment that will assist the post holder in their successful scientific development as well as opportunities to interact with multiple stakeholders in other organisms pursuing shared goals.

The role

The Research Scientist will be required to work on a project developing new approaches to engineer bacteria to transform recovery and processing of important metals. This will be as part of an exciting multi centre project and the post will be able to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team within the Quadram Institute and across the UK. The postholder will apply transposon mutagenesis to identify how to develop strains with improved characteristics.

The ideal candidate

Candidates should have a PhD in microbiology or a related discipline. Experience working with Omic data and environmental microbes is essential as is experience with molecular genetics. Prior knowledge of transposon mutagenesis approaches and Metallobiology is desirable but not essential. Candidates should have some experience in bioinformatics although this need not be advanced as training in specific pipelines will be given. Excellent communication and organisational skills, experience in training lab members and the ability to work independently are essential to this role.

Informal enquiries can be made to Professor Mark Webber mark.webber@quadram.ac.uk in the first instance.

Additional information

Salary on appointment will be within the range £37,500 to £40,600 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full-time post until 31 March 2027.

For further information and details of how to apply can be found on the HR website or contact the Human Resources team on 01603 450814 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk quoting reference 1006086.

This role meets the criteria for a visa application, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Please contact the Human Resources Team if you have any questions regarding your application or visa options.

Interviews are anticipated to be held within the week of the 20th of April 2026.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sectors of society. The Institute supports equality of opportunity within the workplace and expects all employees to share and display these values. To support our commitment, we have a range of family, faith and diversity friendly working arrangements to help all staff achieve excellence in their area of work.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.

About the Quadram Institute

The Quadram Institute is a new interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to understanding how food and microbes interact to promote health and prevent disease. Its mission is to deliver healthier lives through innovation in gut health, microbiology and food. A partnership between Quadram Institute Bioscience, the University of East Anglia, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and BBSRC, it brings together scientists and clinicians in a state-of-the-art building on the Norwich Research Park. This is one of Europe’s largest centres of life sciences and home of the John Innes Centre and The Earlham Institute.

The closing date for applications will be 7 th April 2026. 

The Quadram Institute Bioscience is a registered charity (No. 1058499) and is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

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