Specialist - Research

Position Summary

The Roston Lab of the MSU Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) is seeking a Specialist – Research to lead our cold tolerance research program. This position is a full-time, 12-month annual appointment.

The successful candidate will join the Roston lab in a leadership role to manage crop physiology experiments and work toward external funding from agencies such as the USDA, NSF, and DOE BER. This role focuses specifically on cold signaling and tolerance, especially the role of membranes and diurnal cycles in optimizing fitness in panicoid grasses such as sorghum and maize. This position is expected to advance institutional and unit core values of ethical and academic standards;

culture and climate; and conduct and behavior, as described in MSU´s updated strategic plan.

The Research Specialist will take a lead role on research projects, performing duties that require a doctoral degree and the ability to manage complex research teams.

Duties include:

• Scientific Direction & Project Management (35%) Refine and establish core research objectives and long‑term scientific direction for projects focusing on signaling, cold reception, and membrane dynamics during cold stress.
• Experimental Design & Oversight (25%) Design and oversee integrated experimental strategies that combine plant physiology, genetics, and "omics" (lipidomics/metabolomics). The candidate will use expertise in photosynthesis and environmental physiology to advance research hypotheses.
• Resource Coordination (20%) Coordinate plant growth facilities on behalf of the lab and act as the primary liaison for the integration of plant physiology equipment.
• Collaborative Integration (10%) Build and maintain essential relationships with multi‑institutional partners and multiple core facilities to integrate computational and technical resources.
• Reporting & Proposal Development (10%) Publish scientific outcomes in high‑impact journals and draft scientific proposals for funding agencies.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Doctorate - Biochemistry, Plant Biology, or other relevant field.

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Plant Biology, or other relevant field.
• More than 15 years of experience in plant sciences, with a specific emphasis on crop species.
• Demonstrated expertise in plant physiology and genetic screening.
• Proven ability to manage research teams and complex projects.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to navigate regulatory aspects of gene editing projects.

• Significant expertise in photosynthesis research and environmental stress physiology.
• Experience in large‑scale data interpretation, statistical analysis and data modeling.
• Experience coordinating with multiple partners and core facility managers.
• A strong record of publishing scientific conclusions and refining research hypotheses.