Post-doctoral Associate in Evolutionary Plant Ecology /Ecological Genomics UC Davis
Post-doctoral position to collaborate with Sharon Strauss (UC Davis) and Maren Friesen (MSU) on the role of symbionts in promoting coexistence between sympatric, congeneric clover species. Our study focuses on rhizobia and other soil biota in determining outcomes of interactions between, and niche differences influencing coexistence of, 8 native annual Trifolium species that co-occur at the Bodega Marine Reserve and across California. The Bodega Marine Coastal Reserve is a two-hour drive from Davis. Post-doc will reside in Davis, but should expect to spend some overnights at the Bodega Marine lab for field surveys and experiments. Post-doc must be able to drive a car. Post-doc will be responsible for field experiments, descriptive field collections of traits and nodules and surveys documenting co-occurrence patterns of species, as well as greenhouse experiments manipulating rhizobia, soil and neighboring plant species. Students and a technician will aid in these data collections. Opportunities are available to develop expertise in transcriptomes and genomic analyses; these skills are not, however, required. Post-doc will sit in Strauss lab at UC Davis and participate in lab meetings, as well as in the vibrant ecological and evolutionary activities at UC Davis, such as seminar series, etc. Another post-doc (separate application) will sit in Friesen lab at MSU and will be focused on rhizobial genomes and Trifolium transcriptomes. The post- doc based in the Friesen lab will be responsible for the production and analysis of large-scale next-generation sequencing datasets in collaboration with a technician and graduate student. Together, the ecological and genomic datasets will be integrated with phylogenetic data to address fundamental questions about the niche and species coexistence. The two labs will collaborate and interact extensively. Post-docs will receive mentoring on professional development from Strauss and Friesen. Start date is flexible. To apply, please send a 1-2-page cover letter stating your interest in the job, your CV and a list of three referees to [email protected] with 'Trifoilum postdoc' as the subject. For full consideration, please send your application materials by November 30, 2013. For questions, please contact me via email: [email protected] Please contact [email protected] for more details about the MSU position. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer with a strong institutional commitment to the development of a climate that supports equality of opportunity and respect for differences.
