Postdoctoral Research Opportunity: Comparative Analysis Workflows for the Tree of Life
A postdoctoral research position is available in Dr. Robert Thackers laboratory at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) as part of a multi-institution award from the National Science Foundations Assembling, Visualizing, and Analyzing the Tree of Life (AVAToL) program. The Arbor team is building workflow software for comparative analyses of phylogenetic data at Tree of Life scales (www.arborworkflows.com). Our current test cases address three fundamental questions in evolutionary biology: (I) The Evolutionary Process of Spatial Diversification, using species distribution data, phylogenetic relationships, and temporal data to understand processes underlying biogeographic patterns and ecological niche differentiation; (II) The Evolution of Symbiotic Communities, using natural evolutionary replicates to understand the tempo and mode of evolution in species interactions and the evolution of phylogenetic community structure; and (III) The Evolution of Complex Interactions, using novel evolutionary models and analytical algorithms to understand functional diversification during macroevolution and the evolution of interaction networks. The successful applicant will contribute to Arbor design and case studies, primarily focusing on the evolution of symbioses, but will also develop her/his own comparative analysis project. This position will be for 1 year initially and is renewable for an additional year dependent on applicant contributions to the project. Applicants should have, or be about to gain, a Ph.D. in Biology or a related field, and are expected to have experience with phylogenetic analyses. Preferred qualifications include a working knowledge of R, Perl, and/or Python. Applicants must e-mail a single PDF document containing a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests, and contact information for at least three references to [email protected]. The e-mail subject line must include Postdoctoral Research Opportunity. Review of applications will begin on March 1, 2013 and will continue until the position is filled. For more information about this position, please contact: Bob Thacker, [email protected] The UAB Office of Postdoctoral Education provides additional opportunities for training and career development (www.uab.edu/postdocs). UAB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and family-friendly environment in which all faculty and staff can excel and achieve work/life balance irrespective of ethnicity, gender, faith, gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation. UAB also encourages applications from individuals with disabilities and veterans. UAB performs a pre-employment background investigation on candidates selected for employment.
