Research Assistant in Plant Virology

Institute of Plant Molecular Biology

Plant virology

Employment contract

The Institute of Plant Molecular Biology (IPMB/UMBR, https://www.umbr.cas.cz/en/) of the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences opens a position of Research Assistant for the Laboratory of Plant Virology.

Your job will be:

• to perform molecular work with viruses and bacteria;
• to work with software used for sequence data manipulation and evaluation;
• to independently carry out research and development tasks within the framework of a project assigned by the line manager;
• to participate in publishing in impacted journals;
• to actively participate in teaching at the University of South Bohemia which is provided by members of the laboratory;
• to participate in internships and courses supporting the improvement of your professional level;
• to participate in the management of technical staff;
• to participate in obtaining research funding from grant agencies.

Competitive candidates should have:

• university degree in biology/medicine;
• experience in virology/microbiology welcome;
• experience with sequence analysis software welcome;
• willingness to work with viruses and bacteria;
• flexibility and willingness to learn new workflows;
• ability to perform tasks independently as assigned by supervisor;
• knowledge of English at a good spoken and written level;
• communication and organisation skills.

• 5 weeks of paid holiday per year in total for 1 FTE
• Subsidized lunches in our own canteen
• Standard health insurance and social security
• Benefits from Social fund and student benefits
• Working in a stable, prestigious research institution of international importance
• Welcome service and further support for foreigners (HR Award)
• Friendly & stimulating international working environment
• Work-life balance in a middle-sized university city offering options for outdoor, sport & cultural activities
• Free language classes (Czech for foreigners, English for Czechs)
• Opportunity to take part in mentoring programmes as a mentor or a mentee
• Concessionary mobile tariff and banking services at the contractual operator and bank
• Access to accommodation in dormitories at the campus shared by the Biology Centre and the University of South Bohemia (for PhD students)

The position is 50 % FTE (20 hrs per week), provisionally for 3 years (in lieu of maternity/parental leave).
Starting date ASAP.

The post belongs to a group dealing with phages of (phyto)pathogenic bacteria. The Department of Virology at IPMB (https://www.umbr.cas.cz/en/departments/plant-virology/research/) is a leading site for research on plant viruses, viroids and phytoplasmas in the Czech Republic and makes an important contribution to global research in this field.

České Budějovice (2 hours south of the capital Prague) is a middle-sized city with ca. 100K inhabitants, relaxed atmosphere, over 750 years of tradition and a breathtaking countryside around. Both the town and the surrounding countryside provide numerous opportunities for research and leisure activities. There is also a growing international expert community at the Biology Centre CAS (BC CAS, https://www.bc.cas.cz/en/) and the University of South Bohemia (USB, https://www.jcu.cz/en/). In addition to these positives, the living costs are still low by international standards. Check out our Guide for Expats (https://www.bc.cas.cz/en/employees/) to read about life in the city and the Czech Republic.

The Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences holds the HR Excellence in Research Award. Our selection process is transparent, open, non-discriminating, and fair. For more information about the researchers' recruitment policy at our institution, see OTM-R (https://www.bc.cas.cz/en/employees/candidates/otm-r/).
We also provide our employees from abroad with welcome service (visa application, administration, relocation & settlement support).

If interested, please send us a motivation letter with a structured CV via the REPLY button below by 31 January 2023.

Further inquiries can be directed via email to prof. Karel Petrzik: petrzik@umbr.cas.cz