Ref 2756/22 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Plant-Microbe Interactions, Hawkesbsury Institute for the Environment

• Hawkesbury Campus
• Remuneration Package: $100,686 to $121,646 p.a.
• Full-Time, Fixed-Term position for 3 years

Western Sydney University is a modern, forward-thinking, research-led university, located at the heart of Australia’s fastest-growing and economically significant region, Western Sydney. Boasting 11 campuses – many in Western Sydney CBD locations – and more than 200,000 alumni, 49,500 students and 3,500 staff, the University has 14 Schools with an array of well-designed programs and degrees carefully structured to meet the demands of future industry.

The Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment is looking for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join a vibrant multi-disciplinary research team led by Professor Ian Anderson and supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery project grant entitled “Are Secreted Proteins determinants of host range in ectomycorrhizal fungi?”.

Combining genetic manipulation, cellular biochemistry, multi-omic approaches and bioinformatics, the project aims to generate new knowledge concerning the role of small secreted proteins (SSPs) in governing symbiotic fungal-host compatibility and determine the impact of environmental change on the role of these proteins. The outcomes of this project will add a critical component to the global effort in understanding the role of soil microbes in supporting the health of plants experiencing a variety of climatic conditions.

In this position you will characterise the host range of genetically diverse Pisolithus microcarpus isolates and determine if the range co-varies with the expression of fungal SSPs or host target signalling pathways. The research will determine how the evolution of fungal and host protein sequences in compatible and incompatible interactions impact protein-protein interactions. Further, proteomic studies will be undertaken to understand how changes in protein conformation and/or modification affect their activity. The project aims to evaluate the effect of environmental change stressors (i.e. N-deposition, temperature, CO2) on SSP expression and whether this may lead to conditionally compatible plant-fungal interactions. 

You will join an international project team of researchers: Professor Ian Anderson, Dr. Jonathan Plett, Dr. Krista Plett (Department of Primary Industries), and Prof. Francis Martin (INRAE, France). You will communicate findings at scientific meetings and publish research in high-impact international journals. A tailored career mentoring plan will be developed and will include opportunities to contribute to teaching and supervising Masters and PhD students as well as leadership and engagement.

For further information please refer to the Position Description.

Web: www.westernsydney.edu.au/hie

This is a full-time, fixed-term position for 3 years based on the Hawkesbury Campus.

Remuneration Package: Academic Level A $100,686 to $121,646 p.a. (salary $85,081 to $102,792, plus 17% Superannuation and Leave Loading).

Position Enquiries: Please contact Dr Jonathan Plett via [email protected]

Closing Date: 8:30pm, Thursday 14 July 2022.

Please click here to view Position Description Opens in new window

Western Sydney University is committed to diversity and social inclusion. Applications from people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; equity target groups including women, people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTIQ; and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are encouraged.

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