Postdoctoral Associate

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is seeking a full-time postdoctoral researcher to join the Zhang Lab for a collaborative project focused on improving thermotolerance in pennycress, a promising oilseed cover crop.

Cover crops like pennycress play a vital role in sustainable agriculture - improving soil health, preventing erosion, and suppressing weeds - while also giving farmers a valuable second cash crop during the off-season. However, widespread adoption is currently limited by a key agronomic challenge: pennycress must be planted in late summer, when temperatures often exceed the thresholds required for successful seedling establishment. This postdoctoral researcher will investigate the genetic mechanisms that allow pennycress to survive and thrive during high-temperature planting windows, without compromising its cold tolerance. The work will involve pennycress plants grown under both greenhouse and field conditions, offering a rich, applied research experience with direct relevance to real-world agricultural sustainability.

The Zhang Lab, based at the Danforth Center in St. Louis, Missouri, studies how photosynthetic organisms, including green algae and land plants, respond to abiotic stresses such as high temperature and light, with a particular focus on how these stresses affect photosynthesis. Learn more about the lab's work at ruzhanglab.org.

This position is part of an exciting multi-lab cluster hire initiative aimed at improving food and cover crops to advance global food security, agricultural sustainability, and innovation.

Responsibilities:

Use published or available omics datasets to identify gene candidates

Grow, phenotype, and harvest pennycress plants in greenhouses or the field

Perform photosynthetic measurements in pennycress plants

Generate and characterize pennycress transgenic plants

Summarize research results and write related manuscripts

Mentor undergraduate and/or high school interns as needed

Help coordinate the collaboration between different teams

Contributes to related grant proposals with PI

Perform other duties as assigned

Opportunities & Development:

Training in plant physiology (especially photosynthesis), omics, high-throughput phenotyping

Engage with collaborative labs with expertise in cover crops, transformation, and genetics

Highly collaborative, well-resourced environment with access to the Center's world-class core facilities, including the Plant Growth Facility, Plant Transformation Facility, the Advanced Bioimaging Laboratory, the Bioanalytical Chemistry Facility, the Data Science Core, the Phenotyping Facility, and the Danforth Field Research Site.

Opportunities for professional development and networking.

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Highly motivated, goal-oriented, and productive individual

Conduct research projects in a timely manner, with the expectation of meeting deadlines

Have great passion for plant science

Strong attention to details

Have strong background in molecular biology and/or genetics

Be able to organize, multitask their time efficiently

Work both independently and collaboratively within a collaborative and interactive research environment

Effective communication skills and open-minded for scientific discussion

Ability to produce high-quality oral and written research products

Strong problem solving and critical thinking skills

Candidates who have experience with photosynthesis, plant stress responses, or field research are especially encouraged to apply

Live the Danforth Center values: Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion, Innovation, Integrity & Respect, Environmental Sustainability, and Stewardship

Ph.D. in Plant, Molecular or Cell Biology or related field

Submission Instructions:

Please include a 1-2 page cover letter describing academic background, research experience, research interest, and career goals

CV

Contact information for 3 professional references