Salary:            £37,500 – £45,350 per annum depending on qualifications and experience
Contract:        36 months, Full time
Location:        John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
Closing date:  8th March 2026
Reference:     1006046

Applications are invited for a three-year Postdoctoral Researcher position in the group of Professor Anne Osbourn OBE FRS NAS at the John Innes Centre to work on metabolic diversification of triterpenoid bioactives, inspired by the chemical diversity of the Plant Kingdom. The post is part of a larger programme in the Osbourn lab on harnessing plant metabolic diversity for medicinal, agricultural and other applications.

About the Osbourn Group

The Postdoctoral Researcher appointed to this position will be based in the Department of Biochemistry and Metabolism at the John Innes Centre in the laboratory of Professor Anne Osbourn and will join a multidisciplinary team working on plant natural products – biosynthesis, function, mechanisms of metabolic diversification and metabolic engineering for food and health applications.

The role

The successful candidate will investigate the diversity and structure-function relationships of one or more key enzyme superfamilies required for triterpenoid biosynthesis, carry out combinatorial biosynthesis using a rapid and powerful transient plant expression system established in the Osbourn lab (in Nicotiana benthamiana),  and generate mutant variants of selected enzymes in order to unlock and expand on available triterpenoid biosynthetic space.

The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary lab of biologists, chemists and computational scientists that operates across the disciplinary boundaries. The candidate will be encouraged to innovate and develop their own research areas within the overall scope of the labs aims.  They will also have the opportunity to interact with spin-out companies on the Norwich Research Park, including a new spin-out from the Osbourn lab, to gain insights into life in the commercial biotech sector.

The ideal candidate

The John Innes Centre is a world class institute and is looking to appoint an exceptional candidate with a PhD in natural product chemistry, metabolic biology, synthetic biology or a related discipline (full award or expected within 6 months). The successful candidate will have excellent skills in molecular biology, bioinformatics, biochemistry and metabolic biology/natural product research. Previous experience of working on triterpenoid/steroidal compounds (biosynthesis, pathway engineering) would be advantageous but is not essential.

The post holder will work independently and ensure research and record keeping is carried out in accordance with good practice, Scientific Integrity and in compliance with local policies and any legal requirements.

Additional information

For further information and details of how to apply can be found here or contact the Human Resources team on 01603 450814 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk quoting reference 1006046.

This role meets the criteria for a visa application, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Where the successful applicant requires a visa, we will fund the costs for their visa and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Please contact the Human Resources Team if you have any questions regarding your application or visa options.

We are an equal opportunities employer, actively supporting inclusivity and diversity.  As a Disability Confident organisation, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy. We are proud to hold a prestigious Gold Athena SWAN award in recognition of our inclusive culture, commitment and good practices towards advancing of gender equality. We offer an exciting, stimulating, diverse research environment and actively promote a family friendly workplace. The Institute is also a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme.

The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852) grant-aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Apply for this role