Recruitment Role Profile Form (Template)
Version 1.0
Last amended: February 2011
THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
Recruitment Role Profile Form
Job Title:
Research Fellow in Targeted Proteolysis
School/Department:
Biosciences/Division of Plant & Crop Sciences
Salary:
£28,132 - £36,661 per annum depending on qualifications
and experience. Salary progression beyond this point is
subject to performance.
Job Family and Level:
Research and Teaching Level 4
Contract Status:
Fixed-term for 3 years
Hours of Work:
Full-time 36.25 hours per week
Location:
Sutton Bonington Campus, Near Loughborough
Reporting to:
Professor Michael Holdsworth
Purpose of the New Role:
The purpose of this role will be to have specific responsibility for research, for developing
research objectives and proposals for a research project funded by ERA-CAPS in the area of
targeted proteolysis. The person appointed will be expected to plan and conduct work using
approaches or methodologies and techniques appropriate to the type of research, and will be
responsible for writing up their work for publication.
The person appointed will have the opportunity to use their initiative and creativity to identify
areas for research, develop research methods and extend their research portfolio.
Main Responsibilities
1.
Carry out research, including Arabidopsis molecular genetics, physiology and
biochemistry as required by grant objectives, under the overall supervision of
Professor Michael Holdsworth, as part of an ERACAPS funded project in
collaboration with Professor Joost van Dongen (Aachen University) and
Professor Andreas Bachmair (Vienna University) and Dr Francesco Licausi
(Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa), including:
 day to day responsibility for the conduct and satisfactory progress of
the research
 keep meticulous experimental records
 keep current with the relevant literature
 communicate with the other collaborators and attend meetings with
them as required
 contribute ideas and be involved with the longer term planning of the
project in consultation with Prof Holdsworth
 work safely and responsibly with regard to School rules
% time
per year
80%


be prepared to share their expertise with more junior members of the
laboratory e.g. research students.
Contribute to group meetings.
2.
Write up results and present internally and externally as appropriate, under
the overall supervision of Professor Michael Holdsworth
10%
3.
Attend collaboration meetings with members of the ERACAPS consortium as
appropriate, including overnight stays (once every 3 to 6 months)
5%
4.
General office duties as required, any other duties appropriate to the grade
and role of the post holder.
5%
Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience
Essential
PhD in the area of plant biology
Desirable
PhD in plant molecular biology
including work on biochemistry,
physiology, bioinformatics and
cell biology.
Skills/Training
Experimental plant biology
Plant
Plant
Plant
Plant
Experience
Ability to design, execute and write
up experimental work independently
and to troubleshoot failed
experiments.
Ability to deal with quantitative
aspects of plant growth and
development.
Ability to work effectively as part of a
team or independently as required.
Willingness to learn new
experimental/intellectual techniques.
Motivation and commitment.
Good time management skills, ability
to prioritise and meet deadlines
Able to communicate effectively with
supervisors and collaborators.
An understanding of the issues of
confidentiality and to conduct
themselves in a manner that protects
any confidential information in their
possession.
Experience of working in the area
of plant molecular genetics.
Computer skills, including
manipulation of DNA sequence
information, biology-database
searching, ordering Arabidopsis
mutant lines on-line, etc.
Evidence of work published in a
refereed journal or journals.
Qualifications/
Education
Statutory/Legal
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molecular genetics
biochemistry
environment interactions
cell biology
Decision Making
i)
1.
2.
3.
4.
have
keep
keep
work
taken independently by the role holder
day to day responsibility for the conduct and satisfactory progress of the research.
meticulous experimental records.
current with the relevant literature.
safely and responsibly with regard to School rules.
ii)
taken in collaboration with others
1. manage day-to-day activities of the project.
2. communicate with the other collaborators and attend meetings with them as required.
3. contribute ideas and be involved with the longer term planning of the project in consultation
with Prof Holdsworth.
4. be prepared to share their expertise with more junior members of the laboratory e.g.
research students.
5. contribute to group meetings.
6. write papers in conjunction with Prof Holdsworth and co-supervisors.
iii)
referred to the appropriate line manager (please name) by the role holder
1. Overall management and direction of research funded by the grant (Professor
Holdsworth).
2. Wider research strategy of our research group.
3. Purchase decisions <£1000.
Additional Information
This 3 year post is funded as part of an ERACAPS project (N-vironment) through BBSRC: The
role of the N-end rule pathway in controlling plant response to the environment. The
grant was awarded for three years to Professor Michael Holdsworth, Division of Plant and Crop
Sciences, in collaboration with Professor Joost van Dongen (Aachen University) and Professor
Andreas Bachmair (Vienna University) and Dr Francesco Licausi (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna,
Pisa). The grant includes two positions at Nottingham, this and a 2 year post-doc for Dr
Cristina Sousa Correia, and other 3 year post-doctoral positions at Aachen and Vienna. The
aim of the N-vironment project is to provide a complete mechanistic understanding of the role
of the N-end rule pathway of targeted proteolysis in controlling plant responses to the
environment (both biotic and abiotic). This inter-disciplinary project will bring together six
European laboratories with complementary expertise in fundamental molecular plant science,
biochemistry and chemistry, in four institutions. The synergistic value of this collaborative
programme will be the development and exploitation of a highly novel area of plant biology of
key importance to agriculture, in which Europe has the capacity to take a world lead through
ERA-CAPS funding.
This post-doctoral position will focus on discovering and understanding the role of new
Arabidopsis protein substrates of the N-end rule, in regulating plant response to abiotic and
biotic stimuli. This work will include genetic analysis of function, cell biological analysis of
protein expression, and biochemical analysis of changes at the N-terminus of the protein
associated with stress.
The post holder will join the research group, currently consisting of 3 post-doctoral and 1
technical scientists and 5 PhD students, of Professor Michael Holdsworth. The post holder will
work in molecular biology laboratories that are part of the Division of Plant and Crop Sciences,
that also have extensive plant growth room and glasshouse facilities.
Recent publications associated with this work are:
Gibbs, D.J., Isa, N.M., Movahedi, M., Lozano- Juste, J., Mendiondo, G.M., Berckhan, S., Marínde la Rosa, N., Vicente Conde, J., Sousa Correia, C., Pearce, S.P., Bassel, G.W., Hamali, B.,
Talloji, P., Tomé, D.F.A., Coego, A., Beynon, J., Alabadí, D., Bachmair, A., León, J., Gray, J.E.,
Theodoulou, F.L., Holdsworth, M.J. (2014) Nitric oxide sensing in plants is mediated by
proteolytic control of Group VII ERF transcription factors. Molecular Cell, In Press.
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Bailey-Serres, J., Fukao, T., Gibbs, D.J., Holdsworth, M.J., Lee, S.C., Licausi, F., Perata, P.,
Voesenek, L.A.C.J., van Dongen, J.T. (2012) Making sense of low oxygen sensing. Trends in
Plant Science, doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2011.12.004. (Review article)
Gibbs, D.J., Lee, S.C., Isa, N.M., Gramuglia, S., Fukao, T., Bassel, G.W., Sousa Correia, C.,
Corbineau, F., Theodoulou, F.L., Bailey-Serres, J., Holdsworth, M.J. (2011) Homeostatic
response to hypoxia is regulated by the N-end rule pathway in plants. Nature, 479, 415–418.
Holman, T., Jones, P.J., Russell, L., Medurst, A., Úbeda Tomás, S., Talloji, P., Marquez, J.,
Schmuths, H., Tung, S-A., Taylor, I., Footitt, S., Bachmair, A., Theodoulou, F., Holdsworth,
M.J. (2009) The N-end rule pathway of targeted protein degradation promotes seed
germination and establishment through removal of ABA sensitivity in Arabidopsis. PNAS
(USA), 106:4549-4554.
Head of School/Department
(or nominee):
Date completed:
Professor Mike Holdsworth
4 February 2014
Please quote ref. SCI049714
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