Postdoctoral Fellowship in Bioinformatics and Environmental Metagenomics Dr. Jude Maul USDA-Agricultural Research Service Sustainable Agriculture Systems Lab Beltsville, MD 20507 jude.m...@ars.usda.gov
Dr. Stephanie Yarwood University of Maryland Department of Environmental Science and Technology (ENST) College Park, MD 20742 syarw...@umd.edu A collaborative postdoctoral training position is available, offered jointly by the Department of Environmental Science and Technology (ENST) University of Maryland at College Park and the USDA- Agricultural Research Service Sustainable Agriculture Systems Lab located on the 8000 acre USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in suburban Washington DC. A metagenomic approach will be employed to assess the soil microbial community structure and function in bulk and rhizosphere soils in both conventional and organic farming systems. The successful candidate will be fluent with advanced bioinformatics approaches to soil environmental metagenomic and microbial community analysis. Specific experience with computational tools such as; QUIIME, R, MG-RAST, Uni-frac, bio- conductor etc. Primary responsibilities will include examining plant microbe interactions in the soil/rhizosphere environment in a long-term farming systems study site. The successful candidate will be the lead scientist in charge of bioinformatics and integration of microbial metagenomic and environmental meta-data This experiment is part of a data rich long-term agricultural research site with many nested treatments available for bioinformatics analysis. There will be many opportunities for the candidate to participate in additional on-going projects of interest to the candidate. The labs sponsoring this position are generally interested in environmental microbial ecology and interactions between below ground ecology and ecosystem functionality. We engage in a variety of research themes that link the research areas of biogeochemistry, agroecology, environmental sustainability and plant microbe interaction. Candidates should have or be close to obtaining a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, computer science, molecular biology, or a closely related field. Candidates with a background in soil microbial ecology, metagenomics and plant microbe interactions are especially encouraged to apply. Programming skills and experience in the application of computational methods to genomic data are highly desirable. Applicants must possess good communication skills and be fluent in both spoken and written English. The ability to learn how to use new software and quickly become expert in its use, critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and the ability to work semi-independently are required. The funding for this position is stable for three years and offers the scientist wide latitude in the design and pursuit of their research project. The successful candidate will have access to collaborate with USDAs Bovine Functional Genomics bioinformatics core facility (illumina, bioanalizer,) as well as an in-house Roche 454 sequencer. Interested applications should email Dr. Jude Maul (jude.m...@ars.usda.gov) or Dr. Stephanie Yarwood (syarw...@umd.edu) with a current CV, a brief statement of interest, and the names and contact info for three references. We will start evaluating January 31.
