Job opening at UMass Amherst

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UMass Amherst announces a faculty search for a plant biochemist/ molecular biologist (tenure track Assistant Professor). They are particularly interested in recruiting a plant biochemist who will complement the research strengths of the department and who will contribute to campus initiatives in biofuels research. Massachusetts and the UMass campus are making significant investments to expand the life sciences on campus, including two new laboratory science buildings that will be completed in the next two years. The faculty member would join a highly active and growing life science community that offers numerous opportunities for collaborative interactions. The Plant Biology Program at UMass consists of an interactive group of faculty from five departments with interests in all aspects of plant science. The group has been steadily growing over the past several years, and we are now the largest plant biology program in New England. In addition, faculty also have the opportunity to interact with the larger life sciences community through the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, a larger graduate program that includes all molecular life scientists at UMass and the surrounding five college network.

The UMass campus is actively involved in energy research through several interdisciplinary efforts, including the Massachusetts Institute for Biofuels Research, which brings together plant biologists, microbiologists, and chemical and process engineers to address fundamental problems in biofuels research. Recently, a group of eight investigators formed the Brachypodium Consortium, a group of plant biologists and microbiologists who use brachypodium as a model for feedstock development. As such, we are at the forefront of research to develop this new model system to address problems specific to the grasses.