We have a research project starting in 2017 on Ethiopian banana, Ensete ventricosum, for 18 months, in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Dr Paul Wilkin) and University of Addis Ababa (Professor Sebsebe Demissew). There is a post-doctoral position working with the project (closed 7 August 2017).

The project “Modelling and genomics resources to enhance exploitation of the sustainable and diverse Ethiopian starch crop Enset” is funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund under a Foundation Award for Global Agricultural and Food Systems Research from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Our exciting interdisciplinary project seeks to provide the foundation knowledge to help enable the exploitation of the sustainable and diverse Ethiopian starch crop Enset (Musaceae) to support livelihoods in Africa. To this end, we will integrate genomic sequence, molecular diversity, pathology, tissue culture and cytogenetic data, with field and farmer interview data from Ethiopia.

The researcher on the project will be responsible for carrying out and publishing the genomic and laboratory components of the project. You will lead, conduct, and manage a significant laboratory and informatics project in Leicester, UK, integrating your research with field work, working with the lead Ethiopian partner (Addis Ababa University) and modelling at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, under the guidance of the project team.

The work requires experience in plant molecular biology, markers, cytogenetics and genomics or bioinformatics. Ideally this would involve species (crops) with little background data.

Enquiries about the research are welcome and should be made to Prof Pat Heslop-Harrison on phh4@le.ac.uk or 0794 603 4502.

More information about our Ensete project is given at https://molcyt.org/2017/01/17/banana-ensete-and-boesenbergia-genomics-talk-by-schwarzacher-heslop-harrison-harikrishna/, including a lecture which should have been given to an Ensete audience in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on YouTube, and slides from a lecture at the Plant and Animal Genome PAG conference, San Diego, January 2017 (slides also on Slideshare). Our lab publication page has other relevant information.

MAJOR REVISION to the above information and page 9 August 2017 after the application deadline for the research position.