Postdoctoral Position in Snake Conservation Genomics 2023

Position: Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Department: Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology

Location: Ohio State University

Start date (duration): 1 September 2023 (2 years)

Application Deadline: 15 June 2023

Position Overview:

The Gibbs Lab is recruiting a a highly motivated and talented individual to join as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar to lead a project on the population genomics of endangered Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus).  The successful candidate will play a crucial role in advancing ongoing research projects using existing whole genome sequence data from 100s of individuals from multiple populations to address a variety of fundamental questions in conservation/evolutionary genomics. The research questions include interaction between levels of adaptive variation and genetic drift in small isolated populations, identifying and assessing levels of variation in putative disease resistance genes, and using demographic and ancestry based analyses to assess levels of gene flow between population. The postdoc will have the opportunity to develop their own research agenda within the scope of our lab’s interests.

About the Lab:

The Gibbs Lab is a vibrant and dynamic research group dedicated to using genomic data to guide the conservation of biodiversity. We use cutting-edge genomics, computational biology, and evolutionary theory to investigate a wide range of biological questions in conservation and evolutionary biology. Our lab provides an intellectually stimulating and collaborative environment for conducting high-impact research and offers excellent opportunities for professional development.

Recent manuscripts from the lab include:

Ochoa, A., Broe, M., Moriarty Lemmon, E., Lemmon, A.R., Rokyta, D.R., and Gibbs, H. L. 2020. Drift, selection and adaptive variation in small populations of a threatened rattlesnake. Molecular Ecology 29:  2612-2625.

Ochoa, A. and Gibbs, H.L. 2021. Genomic signatures of inbreeding and mutation load in a threatened rattlesnake. Molecular Ecology 30:5454–5469.

Mathur S., Haynes, E., Allender, M., Gibbs, H.L. 2022. Genetic mechanisms and biological processes underlying host response to ophidiomycosis (Snake Fungal Disease) inferred from tissue-specific transcriptome analyses. bioRxiv, 2022.03. 25.485740.

Mathur, S., Mason, A., Bradburd, G., Gibbs, H.L. Functional genomic diversity is correlated with intensity of genetic drift in an endangered rattlesnake. PNAS (in review).

The position is funded through the Ohio Biodiversity Conservation Partnership (https://obcp.osu.edu) and will involve interacting with the Ohio Division of Wildlife personnel. The postdoc will have the opportunity to be involved in other ongoing research projects such as the evolutionary genomics studies of Brazilian snakes in collaboration with researchers at the Instituto Butantan in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Responsibilities:

  • Conduct independent research and contribute to ongoing projects in the lab.
  • Design and execute experiments using a combination of wet-lab techniques and computational approaches.
  • Analyze genomic and evolutionary datasets, using statistical and bioinformatics tools.
  • Curate and maintain large datasets, create new bioinformatic pipelines, and explore new computational tools for data analyses
  • Publish research findings in top-tier scientific journals and present at national and international conferences.
  • Collaborate with other lab members and foster a collegial and collaborative research environment.
  • Assist in mentoring and training graduate and undergraduate students.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  • PhD in evolutionary biology, conservation genetics, bioinformatics or a related field
  • Expertise in population/conservation genomics or evolutionary genetics
  • Fluency in a programming language such as Perl, Python, or R
  • Publication record

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Experience with analysis of whole genome data, statistical methods, and bioinformatics tools
  • Experience with demographic modeling using high performance computing resources

START DATE AND DURATION

The position is available 1 September 2023. The initial appointment is for one year with the strong possibility of reappointment for one additional year pending satisfactory performance. Salary is $60K with full benefits.

APPLICATION PROCESS

General inquiries and/or applications should be sent to H. Lisle Gibbs (gibbs.128@osu.edu). Interested candidates should send the following: 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 June 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.

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.

We look forward to welcoming an enthusiastic and talented researcher to our lab, where they will have the opportunity to make significant contributions to the fields of conservation genomics and evolutionary biology and genomics!

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.

 

PhD position: Speciation Genomics and Venom Evolution in Brazilian Pitvipers

The Gibbs Lab, Department of EEOB, Ohio State University is recruiting a Ph.D. student, to begin in Fall 2020, to develop a dissertation project on the genomics of speciation and venom evolution in island species of Brazilian pitvipers (Bothrops sp.). This project is a collaboration between Dr. Felipe Grazziontin and Dr. Inacio Azevedo (both at the Instituto Butantan) and the Gibbs lab to use the island Bothrops system to study if there is convergence at the genomic level in adaptations associated with species formation on multiple islands off the southern coast of Brazil. There would be the opportunity for training visits to Instituto Butantan as part of the project.

The ideal applicant would have strong quantitative skills and proficiency or interest in learning bioinformatics techniques and experience in using molecular data to examine evolutionary questions. A Master’s degree is preferred but not required. This is primarily a lab-based project but with the possible opportunity for limited fieldwork.

The student would join an active lab that applies genomic techniques and bioinformatics analyses to a wide range of questions in the evolutionary biology and conservation genetics of vertebrates. The Department of EEOB provides year-round financial support (~ $29K/yr plus benefits and tuition) for PhD students for the duration of their program.

Interested students should contact Dr. H. Lisle Gibbs, Department of EEOB, Ohio State University at gibbs.128@osu.edu with a statement of interest, a CV, transcripts and GRE scores if available (not required). I will start reviewing applications on 1 October.  Please see the lab (https://u.osu.edu/gibbslab) and department (http://eeob.osu.edu/) websites for more information.

PhD position in Snake Venom Evolution

 

The Gibbs Lab in the Department of EEOB at Ohio State University is recruiting a Ph.D. student, to begin in Fall 2019, to develop a dissertation project on the evolution of venom diversity at the molecular level among closely-related species of New World snakes. The student will join a group that uses genomic, transcriptome and proteomic data to study snake venom proteins as a model for the evolution of adaptations at the molecular level. The project would be part of an ongoing NSF (US)-FAPESP (Brazil) Dimensions of Biodiversity grant on snake venom evolution that involves institutions in the US (Ohio State, Florida State University, and Clemson University) and Brazil (Instituto Butantan). There would be the opportunity for training visits to these institutions.

The ideal applicant would have strong quantitative skills and proficiency or interest in learning bioinformatics techniques and experience in using molecular data to examine evolutionary questions. A Master’s degree is preferred but not required. This is primarily a lab-based project but with the possible opportunity for limited fieldwork.

The student would join an active lab that applies genomic techniques and bioinformatics analyses to a wide range of questions in the evolutionary biology and conservation genetics of vertebrates. The Department of EEOB provides year-round financial support (~ $28K/yr plus benefits and tuition) for PhD students for the duration of their program.

Interested students should contact Dr. H. Lisle Gibbs, Department of EEOB, Ohio State University at gibbs.128@osu.edu with a statement of interest, a CV, transcripts and GRE scores if available. I will start reviewing applications on 15 October.  Please see the lab (https://u.osu.edu/gibbslab) and department (http://eeob.osu.edu/) websites for more information.

Winter/Spring News 2018

  • Former PhD student Rob Denton accepted a tenure-track position at University of Minnesota-Morris – congratulations!
  • Jamin Wieringa visited collaborators at University of Maryland to discuss bat research in May
  • Alex Ochoa attended a workshop on transcriptomic analyses at Indiana University in May.
  • Jamin W. and Mike Broe participated in the OSU Museum of Biological Diversity Open House in April.
  • Lisle – Gave an invited talk at Venom Week 2018, Texas A&M Kingsville and seminars at Ohio University, Purdue University and Queen’s University Biology Station.

Summer/Fall News 2017 for Gibbs Lab

  • New Postdoc, Dr. Alex Ochoa arrived in June to work on the Sistrurus conservation genetics project.
  • Lisle attended the Latin American Herpetology Congress, Quito, Ecuador in July and the Brazilian Toxinologists Congress in Florianopolis, Brazil in August.
  • Mike Broe and Lisle attend a meeting of NSF-FAPESP Venom Grant Participants at the Instituto Butantan, Sao Paulo in September.
  • New PhD student Alyssa Hassinger arrived in August.
  • Lab hosted (along with the Chavez Lab) a visit by Dr. Nick Casewell to Ohio State in October.
  • Jamin and Scott presented papers at the Student Conference on Conservation Science at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC in October.
  • Jamin presented a paper at the North American Society for Bat Research, Knoxville TN in October.
  • Lisle and Steve Smith organized and hosted the Annual OBCP Meeting in November at the OSU 4H Center. Scott, Jamin and Alex gave presentations at the meeting.
  • Lab undergraduate, Marissa Monopoli was awarded an OSU Honors and Scholars Enrichment Grant in December to work with Jamin on the molecular analyses of bat diets.
  • Lab was awarded a Competitive State Wildlife Grant for collaborative work on bats with groups at OSU and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences in December. This will fund Jamin’s PhD research.

 

Upcoming Changes in People in the Gibbs Lab.

The Gibbs lab will undergo significant changes in people in the coming months.  Pending successful defenses of their theses in the near future (!), PhD students Matt Holding and Rob Denton will be leaving to take up postdoctoral positions. In June, Matt will be moving to Florida to first, take a position with Dr. Chris Parkinson, Department of Biology, University of Central Florida as a postdoc for a year on our NSF Dimensions of Biodiversity Grant on snake venom evolution before then moving to take up his two year NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship on morphological and venom evolution in snakes with Dr. Darin Rokyta, Department of Biological Science, Florida State University.  In August, Rob will move to Dr. John Malone’s lab in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, to work on amphibian genome evolution (including unisexual Ambystoma salamanders).  Congratulations to both – they will be sorely missed!
Three migrants will arrive to join current PhD students, Scott Martin and Jamin Wieringa: Dr. Mike Broe, Dr. Alex Ochoa, and Alyssa Bigelow. Mike will take up a postdoctoral position as part of our NSF venom grant to work on genomic structure of snake venom genes. Alex will be joining us from the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona where he completed his PhD on Florida panther genomics. He will be working on an OBCP-funded project examining the genomic consequences of population bottlenecks on adaptive variation in Massasauga rattlesnakes. Finally, Alyssa will be joining the lab from Florida State University where she most recently has been working as a technician in the Rokyta and Lemmon Labs to take up a position as a PhD student working on the genomic basis of coevolutionary interactions between rattlesnakes and squirrels. Welcome to all!

Rob Denton – Publication in Functional Ecology

21 December 2016
Congratulations to Rob Denton on his recent publication in Functional Ecology  including videos (video) of salamanders on treadmills! (OSU press release) and to former undergraduate, Paul Hudson his publication in Herpetological Review (Hudson et al.).
 

Congratulations to Dr. Sarah Simley-Walters!

Sarah Smiley-Walters successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled “Interactions between Pigmy Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius) and a suite of prey species: a study of prey behavior and variable venom toxicity” on 9 December – congratulations!

The 2016 Ohio Biodiversity Conservation Partnership Meeting

The 2016 Ohio Biodiversity Conservation Partnership Meeting took place at the 4-H Center on the Ohio State University campus. The meeting was attended by over 80 people from OSU, the Ohio Division of Wildlife and other partners from across Ohio. Presentations included talks by Dr. Mazeika Sullivan on stream conservation and Dr. Steven Spear on eDNA and five short talks on OBCP-funded research (see program).

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.