Join Our Team
The Plant Resilience Institute, or PRI, at Michigan State University (MSU) is growing and seeks talented individuals across research, administration, and more! Visit the active postings linked below to apply, and check back often for new opportunities. All PRI openings can be found at careers.msu.edu.
New and prospective PRI members should review the PRI onboarding packet. This PDF file contains helpful information for new trainees about PRI's research and labs, events, resources, and more.
Open Positions
Support Staff
PRI Business & Human Resources Administrator: PRI is seeking an experienced and collaborative professional to lead the institute's business operations and human resources functions. The Business & Human Resources Administrator will help lead PRI's day-to-day business and administrative operations, serve as the institute's primary HR resource, supervise and develop staff, and collaborate with colleagues across the university.
SYNCORNET Project Administrator: Join the Topp lab at PRI as a project administrator supporting a new multi-institutional research project funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). This role will play a central part in coordinating the SYNCORNET project, which brings together a multidisciplinary team to develop plant genetic and biological solutions that synchronize nitrogen supply and demand in corn agriculture, reduce synthetic nitrogen inputs, and lower greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining yield. The project administrator will coordinate the scientific, administrative, and reporting activities of SYNCORNET across partner institutions, ensuring that project milestones, budgets, and compliance requirements are met.
Postdoctoral Scholars
Topp Lab Postdoctoral Scholars-Fixed Term: The Topp lab is recruiting multiple postdoctoral researchers across complementary areas of root biology, phenomics, and translational crop science. The lab's mission is to enhance sustainable crop production and ecosystem services through the rational design and deployment of more efficient root systems. The lab integrates high-throughput phenotyping, advanced imaging, quantitative genetics, gene editing, and large-scale field experimentation to connect root system architecture to whole-plant performance and ecosystem outcomes. There are currently open postdoctoral positions in the following research tracks:
Computational, Quantitative, and Predictive Modeling of Root Systems: Emphasizes integration of phenomics and other -omics data into predictive frameworks
Field Translation and Agroecosystem Function: Focuses on scaling mechanistic discoveries to field performance and ecosystem outcomes
Equal Opportunity Statement
In compliance with the law, Michigan State University is an equal opportunity employer. University programs, activities, services and facilities are provided without regard for a persons age, color, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), genetic information, disability status, ethnicity, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation), military or veteran status, or weight, or any other status protected by applicable federal or state law. In carrying out this commitment, the university is guided by the applicable federal and state laws and regulations and policies adopted by the Board of Trustees.
The Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion oversees MSU’s affirmative action and equal employment opportunity compliance with respect to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
For information about applicable laws and university policy, please see the Michigan State University Notice of Non-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment and Non-Retaliation.
Why MSU?
Michigan State University is a member of the Association of American Universities and is listed among the 100 most distinguished research universities in the world. With over $750 million dollars in research expenditures annually, MSU is a Top 50 research university nationally. Nearly 1,900 tenure stream faculty and 17 degree-granting colleges including Engineering, Natural Science, Agriculture, three Colleges of Medicine (Human, Osteopathic, and Veterinary), Education, Humanities, Social Science, and the MSU/Department of Energy Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, create diverse and countless opportunities for collaboration.
