JOIN IMSL!!!

GRA will be involved in cultivating and characterizing novel bacterial lineages from insects to be used for building synthetic gut microbiomes.

Eligible students should have a background in  microbiology, evolutionary biology, and/or microbial ecology. Some computational biology is encouraged, but not required.

This is a full-time, NSF-funded 2-year position with possibilities for extension.

The successful candidate will be working with the Insect-Microbial Symbiosis Lab (IMSL) in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University. 

IMSL is interested in using machine learning and predictive modeling to identify microbial features (i.e., species, functions, and products) that are essential for normal animal growth and development and then testing these predictions in a live, germ-free/gnotobiotic model invertebrate.

We have pioneered the development of methods to generate germ-free insects for developing and testing hypotheses about how microbes impact the growth, development and evolution of animals.

 DUTIES: Developing and applying bioinformatic analyses pipelines; effectively applying predictive modeling approaches in a microbiome science context; performing data science and statistical analyses; coauthoring peer-reviewed manuscripts; contributing to grant proposals; mentoring graduate and undergraduate students; giving talks at local, state, national and international meetings.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• a relevant university education with a completed doctoral/PhD degree and a strong interest in the microbiome sciences,
• demonstrated proficiency in command line and high-performance computing,
• demonstrated script writing skills in at least one language (R, Python or Perl),
• demonstrated experience developing bioinformatic pipelines and using machine learning/predictive modeling tools,
• exceptional organizational skills and strong ability to work independently and collaboratively,
• willingness to supervise undergraduate and graduate students, and to promote young scientists,
• excellent spoken and written communication skills.

 SALARY AND BENEFITS:

• This position starts at $60,000 and includes full staff benefits, and is eligible for annual merit pay increases pending annual performance review.
• This position also includes a $5,000 start-up to be used by the postdoc to establish research and academic activities at the university and to pursue professional development opportunities.

• The Ohio State University offers a highly collaborative, supportive and interdisciplinary environment and provides postdocs with access to professional development and cross-training experiences.

APPLICATION (please send the following items to sabree.8@osu.edu with the subject heading [insect_postdoc]):

• Cover letter that details your interest in the position and how you fit the description.
• CV that includes a bibliography and any experiences relevant to the responsibilities described above.
• Please submit up to three published, coauthored papers that reflect your skills as relevant to this position and/or across the fields of microbiology, evolution, ecology, and other relevant biological sciences.