POST-DOCTORAL OPPORTUNITY IN MICROBIAL ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION WITHIN THE GLOBAL GRASSLAND PHYTOBIOME
University of Minnesota Our research group seeks to hire a post-doctoral associate in the ecology and evolution of plant-associated microbes. The successful applicant will work on an experimental project with global reach (The Nutrient Network nutnet.org) as part of a team of ecologists and evolutionary biologists in the University of Minnesota's departments of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior and Plant Pathology. The appointment is for one year renewable position, to begin as soon as possible. The scientific goal of this position is to examine the abiotic and biotic predictors and functional significance of fungal, bacterial, and viral symbionts of plant hosts, and determine plant microbiome effects on disease transmission. Experiments will encompass scales ranging from individual hosts and local host communities to regional and global bioclimatic and soil gradients. Projects will include quantification of bacterial, fungal, and viral communities within hosts using high-throughput sequencing and manipulative experiments in both the field and lab to examine the effects of the plant-associated microbial community on host fecundity and pathogen resistance, and on microbial fitness and transmission. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to work with mathematical modelers to use empirically-derived parameter values and test predictive models. We are particularly interested in applicants with metagenomics or organismal expertise in microbial biology and training in community ecology or evolutionary biology. Successful applicants will have experience and ability in laboratory techniques necessary for high-throughput sequencing and quantitative skills for manipulating and analyzing metagenomic ecological or evolutionary datasets. In addition to metagenomic lab and data skills, we seek applicants with the capacity to work well with our research team of postdocs, graduate students, and PIs collaborating on elements of the project. A conceptual overview of the larger project is described in Borer et al. 2013 (found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2013.08.009). Questions about this position should be addressed to Dr. Linda Kinkel, [email protected]. Review of applications will begin ASAP. Apply for this position (Requisition #302399) via the University of Minnesota Office of Human Resources website: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/employment/index.html http://tinyurl.com/negnlvy
