Postdoctoral Position in Snake Venom Evolution

The Gibbs Lab (https://u.osu.edu/gibbslab/) in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University has an opening for an NSF-funded Postdoctoral Research Associate for research on snake venom evolution. The postdoc will join a collaborative research group of US and Brazilian scientists funded through a joint NSF-FAPESP grant to study venom evolution in snakes at micro- to macroevolutionary timescales.  Members of the group include D. Rokyta (Florida State University), C. Parkinson (University of Central Florida) and L. Gibbs (Ohio State University), I. Avezedo, A. Moura, E. Hingst-Zaher (Instituto Butantan) and H. Zaher (Universidade de São Paulo). The specific project will focus on using comparative analyses to explore the links between venom variation at the molecular level and rates of speciation in venomous snakes but will also  be involved in research assessing links between the genomic, proteomic and functional variation in venom across species. There will be the chance to visit participating laboratories in the US and Brazil and participate in field work.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  • PhD in evolutionary biology, phylogenetics. bioinformatics or a related field
  • Expertise in comparative analyses and/or molecular evolution
  • Fluency in a programming language such as Perl or Python
  • Record of publication

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Experience with analyzing genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data
  • Experience with the use of high performance computing resources

START DATE AND DURATION

The position is available 15 September 2017. The initial appointment is for one year with the possibility of reappointment for three additional years pending satisfactory performance. Salary is $47.5K with full benefits.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should send the following to H. Lisle Gibbs (gibbs.128@osu.edu): 1) a CV, 2) Statement of research interests and how current professional abilities match possible project goals, 3) Names and contact information for three references. Review of applications will start 15 January 2017 with interviews taking place in February. I hope to offer the position to a candidate by March 2017.

ABOUT COLUMBUS

The Ohio State University campus is located in Columbus, the capital city of Ohio. Columbus is the center of a rapidly growing and diverse metropolitan area with a population of over 1.5 million. The area offers a wide range of affordable housing, many cultural and recreational opportunities, excellent schools, and a strong economy based on government as well as service, transportation and technology industries (see http://liveworkplaycolumbus.com/). Columbus has consistently been rated as one of the Top U.S. cities for quality of life, and was selected as one of the Top 10 cities for African Americans to live, work, and play by Black Enterprise magazine. Additional information about the Columbus area is available at http://www.columbus.org.

The Ohio State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.