The Osborne group at Bangor University is recruiting a 3-year postdoc in amphibian host-microbiome interactions, based in the Molecular Ecology and Evolution group in the School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University.
The post is part of a UK–US collaborative project led by Bangor University and George Washington University (US), including partners from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (US) and Tropical Research Institute (Panama), funded by BBSRC (UK) and NSF (US). The project will investigate the role of amphibian skin microbiomes and skin-resident immune components in determining species-specific outcomes of infection by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd).
Invasive fungal diseases are rising globally, causing catastrophic declines in wildlife populations and posing severe threats to animal and human health. Bd is a leading cause of global amphibian biodiversity loss. Both the amphibian skin microbiome and resident immune components are known to influence infection outcomes, but the mechanisms that govern interactions between the immune system, microbiome and disease remain poorly understood.
This project will investigate the central hypothesis that species-specific interactions between skin-resident microbiomes and immune components critically define Bd infection outcomes in amphibians. This hypothesis will be explored through experimental manipulation of microbiomes and skin-resident immune components in Bd-susceptible and Bd-tolerant frog species.
The post holder will be responsible for planning, conducting, analysing and contributing to the publication of the microbiome-related components of the project. This will include leading 16S metabarcoding, shotgun metagenomic and bacterial genome sequencing activities, integrating microbiome datasets with infection, immune and transcriptomic data generated by the wider project team, and liaising with UK, US and Panama-based project partners.
Deadline: 8 July 2026
For full details, and to apply, see here: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRW850/postdoctoral-research-officer-in-amphibian-host-microbiome-interactions
Informal enquiries can be made by contacting: Owen Osborne o.osborne@bangor.ac.uk

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