Postdoctoral position in Landscape Ecology of Plant-Microbial Interactions Department of Biology, University of Miami, Miami, FL
Drs. Michelle Afkhami and Christopher Searcy are interested in hiring a co-advised postdoctoral scholar in Landscape Ecology of Plant-Microbial Interactions in the Department of Biology at University of Miami (Miami, FL). The postdoctoral scholar will conduct research to investigate the role of plant-microbial interactions in the landscape ecology and conservation of plant species in the imperiled Florida Scrub ecosystem. In particular, projects during the first year will focus on: 1) metatranscriptomics of soil microbes and how they relate to selection imposed by fire, and 2) the impact of the soil microbial community on plant distributions. During this time, the postdoctoral scholar can become familiar with the system and develop additional projects related to landscape-scale species distributions, plant demography, or other aspects of plant-microbial interactions. We are looking for a postdoctoral scholar who can bring his or her perspective to the system and develop new ideas to pursue. The postdoc will have the opportunity to collect, analyze, and integrate multiple forms of data (e.g., new greenhouse/field experiments, existing long term field data, soil microbial sequencing data), learn new modeling and molecular skills (e.g., Species Distribution Modeling, Integral Projection Modeling, high-throughput single cell sequencing), mentor undergraduate and graduate students, and write papers. Dr. Chris Searcy is a landscape ecologist who will advise the postdoc on modeling and landscape ecology, and Dr. Michelle Afkhami will advise on plant-microbe and molecular methods. This research will be done at University of Miami and the nearby Archbold Biological Station (http://www.archbold-station.org/). Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, or a related discipline, and experience conducting research with plants, microbes, and/or modern genomic/transcriptomic methods and bioinformatics. Other important qualifications are a strong work ethic, problem-solving and time management skills, a track record of publications, and independent research experience. A background in demographic modeling, species distribution modeling, and/or data analysis in R are desirable but not required. This is a one year position with an expectation for renewal provided that first-year performance is satisfactory. Start date is flexible, but an ideal candidate would be able to begin February 2019 or soon thereafter. Please send your CV (including contact information for 3 references), a short description of previous experience (1-2 paragraphs), and reasons for wanting this job (1-2 paragraphs) to Dr. Michelle Afkhami (mea...@miami.edu). Learn more about the position at https://michelleafkhami.wordpress.com/join-the-lab/. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
