Kew Research Fellow – Plant Health

We are seeking applications from promising early-career scientists with interesting, innovative, and viable research ideas for the Future Leader Fellowship in Plant Health.

The Future Leader Fellowship in Plant Health provides a unique opportunity for a researcher to develop their scientific portfolio and skills in a vibrant research environment, working with colleagues in Kew Science to make substantial contributions to the challenge of plant pests and pathogens.

The Future Leader Fellowship in Plant Health has been created in partnership with Defra Plant Health and will join a cohort of five other Future Leader Fellows with diverse research interests at Kew.

This Fellowship is within the Plant Adaptation and Resilience Group within the Trait Diversity and Function Priority of the Kew Science Strategy. Proposed research ideas are also expected to align to the objective and priorities of the Defra Plant Health R&D Plan. 

Line managed by a senior researcher, the candidate will be benefit from opportunities for development that include – but are not limited to – training workshops on topics from grant writing to research impact, a mentorship programme, bi-annual meetings with the Director of Science, engagement with policy officials and other chances for researcher-led training. They will also be able to apply for secondment and research funding internally and are encouraged to use this funding to travel for their research.

We are seeking a highly motivated scientist to undertake research in Plant Health, with intended benefits applied directly to the UK. 

You will contribute to the delivery of Initiative 2.1 Adaptation and Resilience in The RBG Kew Science Strategy (2021-2025) in a manner that overlaps with the UK Government Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Plant health research and development plan (2023 to 2028). The areas of principal overlap between these two strategies are in the area of UK resilience to future plant health threats, and adaptation of UK plant species to novel pests and pathogens that have become established within the UK. We welcome project proposals in these areas, that explore and provide new plant health evidence in relation to resilience, adaptation and/or ecosystem stewardship, generating knowledge and practices that can protect, restore and/or sustain healthy habitats, communities and/or livelihoods. 

The Plant Health and Adaptation research group at Kew is a vibrant team containing two Research Leaders, one Research Fellow, six Postdocs, two PhD students and one Research Assistant. The group has core strength in understanding the genomic basis of pest and pathogen resistance and climate adaptation in plants. The team mainly works on UK broadleaved trees and Ethiopian crops. We welcome applicants who can bring new expertise, experience, and ideas to the group. Much of the team’s UK work is funded by the new Centre for Forest Protection, which is a partnership between Kew and Forest Research, funded by Defra. 

You will have a PhD in a relevant discipline, for example genomics, plant evolution, plant pathology, forestry, or crop science. 

Reporting to the Senior Research Leader of the Plant Health and Adaptation research group and supported by others as appropriate to the nature of the research proposal, your research programme will benefit from access to a broad range of laboratory and plant growth equipment. 

You will also have access to Kew’s world leading collections of living and pressed plants, preserved fungi, and seeds.

Applicants must include a research plan as attachments on their online application form. The research plan does not have a set format but should not exceed two sides of A4. The research plan should provide an outline of what your plans would be for the four-year Fellowship, which will then be developed into a full research plan in collaboration with your line manager if successful.

Job contact :

• Name : jobs@kew.org
• Email : jobs@kew.org

Recruitment team

• Email : jobs@kew.org