Project Scientist & Research Associate Post in NABI, Mohali (Punjab), India

September 13, 2025

Research Associate Post in NABI, Mohali (Punjab), India

Designation/Position- Research Associate Post in NABI

National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Punjab, India, invites applications for Research Associate Post in NABI from eligible and interested candidates

About- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) is an autonomous R&D Institute of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. The institute has a state-of-the-art facility in translational research areas at the interface of Agricultural Biotechnology and Food & Nutritional Biotechnology. Applications are invited from the individuals possessing an outstanding research record and enthusiasm to support the organization having a world-class research environment and active partnership with the public and private sectors. Research Associate Post in NABI

Research/Job Area- Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genomics, Biotechnology, or Life Sciences

Location- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Punjab, India

Eligibility/Qualification–

Essential Qualification:

Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genomics, Biotechnology, or Life Sciences with computational experience.

M.Tech/M.Sc. in Bioinformatics/Computational Biology/Computer Science/Statistics with three years of relevant research experience and at least one research paper in a Science Citation Indexed (SCI) journal.

Strong Experience in:

· Metagenomic data analysis.

· Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) workflows and pipelines.

· Linux/Unix command-line operations and scripting (Python/Perl/Bash).

· R or Python for statistical data analysis and visualization.

· High Performance Computing.

Desired Qualifications:

● Prior experience in handling large-scale metagenomic or microbial datasets.

● Familiarity with genome binning and MAG quality assessment.

● Expertise in network analysis and co-occurrence-based ecological modelling.

● Understanding of soil or agricultural microbiome research.

● Working knowledge of high-performance computing clusters.

● Evidence of peer-reviewed publications in the relevant domain.

● Experience with database creation and curation.

● Prior experience in microbiology, genomics and metagenomics wet-lab work.

Age limit: 40 years for RA.

Job/Position Description-

Project Title: “Microbial Solutions for Punjab’s Fertilizer Crisis: Enhancing Soil Ecology and Crop Yields.”(GAP-93)

Principle Investigator: Dr. Shrikant S. Mantri, Scientist-F

Positions: Research Associate–I (One position)

Duration: The position is purely temporary and co-terminus with the project (initially for one year, extendable based on performance and project continuation up to 3 years).

Job Description: The Research Associate (RA) will contribute to the computational biology objectives of the project by performing integrative bioinformatics analysis of metagenomic data. The selected candidate will be primarily supervised by Dr Shrikant Mantri, but may be involved in collaborative work under the guidance of other PIs associated with the project. The RA will be involved in:

● Analysing high-throughput sequencing data (amplicon and whole-genome shotgun)

● Taxonomic profiling and pattern analysis

● Assembly, binning, and annotation of Metagenome-Assembled Genomes (MAGs)

● Biosynthetic Gene Cluster (BGC) analysis

● Functional annotation and metabolic pathway reconstruction

● Applying machine learning and AI algorithms for integrative meta-analysis

● Supporting the creation of a curated database of MAGs and BGCs

● Assisting in preparation of research publications, reports, and presentations, project and lab management.

● Assist the project team in wet-lab project work.

Emoluments: As per DBT norms Rs. 58,000/- plus HRA per month (as applicable for Research Associate I) (As per DST OM No. DST/PCPM/Z-06/2022 dated 26.06.2023)

Contact Details: Project Investigator: Dr. Shrikant S. Mantri, Scientist-F, NABI, India, E-mail: shrikant@nabi.res.in, contact no. +91 172 522 1180.

How to Apply-

All interested candidates may appear for Walk-In-Interview at National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute located at Knowledge city, Sector-81, Mohali, Punjab- 140306, on 25.09.2025 at 09:00 A.M. along with the duly filled application form available on the website www.nabi.res.in. (Phone No. 0172-5221245)