We are hiring 2 postdoctoral research associates for 4 4.5 years to assist with an NSF-funded Dimensions of Biodiversity grant titled Landscapes of linalool: scent-mediated diversification of flowers and moths across western North America. This NSF-funded project integrates chemical ecology, plant reproduction, pollination, population genetics and comparative genomics to explore the impact of past selective pressures on current patterns of diversity in non-model organisms: evening primroses (Onagraceae), hawkmoths (Sphingidae), bees (Halictidae), and micromoths (Mompha).
This project is a collaborative NSF research project between Krissa Skogen (Chicago Botanic Garden), Jeremie Fant (CBG), Norm Wickett (CBG), Robert Raguso (Cornell University), Rachel Levin (Amherst College), Sylvia Kelso (Colorado College), Terry Harrison (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Jean-Francois Landry (Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre), Kathleen Kay (University of California, Santa Cruz), Mike Moore (Oberlin College) and Warren Wagner (Smithsonian Institution). The postdocs will be based at the Chicago Botanic Garden and will conduct fieldwork across the western United States. The Chicago Botanic Garden is situated in Glencoe, IL, just 16 miles north of downtown Chicago, from which it is accessible by a commuter train, buses and highway. Scientists at the Garden live near the Garden, in Evanston, and in Chicago. The department of Plant Biology and Conservation is located in the Rice Plant Science Center, a 4 year-old LEED certified gold building with modern laboratories, office space and museum display space allowing scientists to communicate their findings directly with Garden visitors. The Plant Biology and Conservation Department has active collaborations with Northwestern University, The Field Museum, The University of Chicago, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Morton Arboretum and other area institutions. START DATE Jan. 1 March 1, 2014 APPLICATION REVIEW Begins Nov. 1, 2013 APPLICATION DEADLINE Nov. 11, 2013 STARTING SALARY $43,000/year DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES Postdocs will be responsible for coordinating and conducting field and lab-based data collection, and managing and analyzing large datasets. Postdocs will lead field teams comprised of research assistants, graduate and undergraduate students and will be responsible for coordination among field teams. Expectations are that postdocs will contribute to the preparation of numerous publications, many of which will be first-authored. Teaching and curriculum development opportunities will be provided through the graduate program in Plant Biology and Conservation, a joint program between the Chicago Botanic Garden and Northwestern University. Postdocs will also be involved in various outreach programs coordinated by the research team and the Chicago Botanic Garden. POSITION REQUIREMENTS Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology, biology, botany or a related field. Applicants who expect to have completed their PhD by the start date will be preferred. Potential areas of expertise we are considering include (but this is not exclusive): -Fieldwork- this project will have a large fieldwork component, with 3-4 months in the field each year (for ~6-8 weeks at a time; twice during each year); Years 1 and 2 will focus on broad-scale sampling of plants, pollinators and moths throughout the western US. Years 3 and 4 will focus on detailed field experiments, locations dependent on results from years 1 and 2. -Plant reproductive biology / pollination ecology -Population genetics / landscape genetics / population-level genomics -Ecological genomics / bioinformatics -Coevolution trait evolution -Host-parasite evolution -Plant-pollinator interactions -Chemical ecology -Lepidopteran ecology (moths; micromoths) TO APPLY Please submit a cover letter, resume, employment forms (http://www.chicagobotanic.org/jobs/apply) and request 3 letters of recommendation be sent on your behalf to: Attn: Human Resources. Chicago Botanic Garden. 1000 Lake Cook Road Glencoe, IL 60022 QUESTIONS? Please contact Krissa Skogen ksko...@chicagobotanic.org
