Research Associate
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Employer: University of Bristol |
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Job location: Bristol UK |
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Apply before: 10 Oct 2021 |
Summary
Applications are invited for the post of Research Associate in Plant Biomechanics in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol. You will be part of the Bristol Mechanical Ecology Lab (https://mechanicalecology.bristol.ac.uk/), working on an HFSP-funded collaborative project aiming to identify and characterise key functional traits of carnivorous plants, with the ultimate goal to transfer traits that confer benefits for pest resistance and/or enhanced growth to other, non-carnivorous plants.
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What will you be doing?
Your role in particular will be to characterise plant surfaces, structural material and fluid properties, and test their functionality for the prevention of insect attachment on surfaces, and insect retention in sticky or viscoelastic fluids, as well as wettability or water-repellency of plant surfaces. You will design and carry out biomechanical experiments, analyse data, and publish your results in peer-reviewed journals and present them on scientific conferences. You will design, adapt or custom-build experimental setups and measurement devices to carry out friction and adhesion force measurements with insects on plant surfaces, as well as rheological measurements of fluid viscoelasticity of plant trapping fluids. You will closely collaborate with developmental and molecular biologists investigating the formation of specialised anti-adhesive plant surfaces and the secretion of trap fluids. You will work as part of a collaborative team of postgraduate students in our lab, and with international collaborators as part of the HFSP project. You may spend periods of time in collaborators’ labs in Germany and/or in the U.S.
You should apply if
You will have a PhD in a relevant area of physical, engineering or biological sciences. A solid understanding of fluid mechanics and wetting phenomena would be particular beneficial. A high level of technical ability and understanding, and creativity in the design of custom-built apparatuses and setups, is equally important. Willingness to work with living plants and insects is essential, and experience of performing friction force measurements is highly desirable. You are highly motivated, proactively pursue the acquisition of new expertise and skills, and are an excellent team player.
Additional information
We welcome applications from all members of our community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as members of the LGBT+ and BAME communities, to join us.
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