Postdoctoral Research Scientist

The Moredun Research Institute is recruiting a full-time post-doctoral research scientist to join a BBSRC-funded project investigating the underlying mechanisms of macrocyclic lactone (ML) resistance in the sheep scab mite, Psoroptes ovis. This is a fixed-term contract of three years.

Sheep scab, caused by infestation with the ectoparasitic mite P. ovis, is highly contagious, causing intense pruritus and representing a major welfare and economic concern for UK livestock production. The disease costs the UK livestock industry between £80-200M per annum, and licensed disease control strategies rely upon organophosphate-based sheep dips or ML injectables, against which resistance has now been confirmed in the UK. The successful candidate will join an exciting interdisciplinary collaborative project with Moredun, the University of Glasgow and SRUC, addressing one of the most significant challenges facing the UK livestock sector where resistance to one of the main treatment methods (ML injectables) threatens our ability to treat and manage a vital welfare disease of sheep. The successful applicant will work across the project team to conduct experiments to understand the mechanisms underlying ML resistance in P. ovis. They will have access to world-class research facilities and unique resources, including confirmed ML-susceptible and ML-resistant P. ovis isolates and a chromosome-level P. ovis genome assembly. They will exploit these resources to undertake in vivo cross-mating between ML-susceptible and ML-resistant populations to generate F₁ progeny for bulk segregant analysis (BSA) and transcriptomics to identify the mechanisms of ML resistance, subsequently applying population genomics to track the emergence and spread of this resistance in the UK. This knowledge will inform updated advice and guidelines on sheep scab management and help to develop novel tools to diagnose and track the spread of resistance, ensuring the extended use of available products.

You will be a highly motivated individual with appropriate laboratory experience, the ability to work independently and excellent communication skills. This position offers excellent opportunities for career development, skills training, and collaborative opportunities with project partners and end users.

The provisional start date is the 1^st of September 2024, but this may be flexible, with interviews planned for the week commencing 22^nd of July 2024.

For informal enquiries, please contact our HR department at: HR@moredun.ac.uk