Post‑doctoral Associate in Plant Genome Engineering

About the role

The University of Maryland’s Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture seeks a Post‑doctoral Associate to join Dr. Yiping Qi’s lab. The role focuses on mechanistic studies of non‑host immunity in Arabidopsis and rice, integrating plant genome engineering and delivery tool development.

Key responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments to characterize candidate genes involved in non‑host immunity.
• Supervise undergraduate and graduate research students and collaborate with academic and industry partners.
• Collect, manage, and analyze data using descriptive and multivariate statistics.
• Prepare reports, presentations, and high‑quality publications.

Required profile

• Ph.D. in plant molecular biology, plant science, horticulture, or related field obtained within the past two years.
• At least one first‑author or co‑first publication in a reputable plant journal.
• Strong written and oral communication skills and ability to manage multiple projects.

Required skills

• DNA/RNA isolation, PCR, RT‑PCR, quantitative PCR, RNA‑seq, Southern blot.
• Protein expression in E.coli, purification, Western blot, gel electrophoresis.
• Molecular cloning (conventional, TA, Golden Gate, Gateway, Gibson assembly) and vector design software.
• Plant protoplast transformation, tissue culture, confocal imaging.
• Bioinformatics for genomic analysis, protein annotation, and functional sequence comparison.

What we offer

• Salary range $50,000 – $60,000 per year.
• Faculty benefits as outlined by the University of Maryland.