The University of Connecticut (UConn) seeks a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to participate in and enhance ongoing research focused on the microbiome of benthic marine invertebrates. The successful candidate will lead research on the functional significance and mechanistic role of the microbiome on cellular and physiological processes of the host.
UConn is an R1 institution and among the top 25 public universities in the nation. The Department of Marine Sciences (www.marinesciences.uconn.edu) has 18 tenure-track faculty members, 8 research faculty, numerous affiliated faculty and scientists, and an average enrollment of 45 graduate students and 90 undergraduate students. The new hire will join the Marine Environmental Physiology Laboratory (https://ward.lab.uconn.edu/), interact with technical personnel, and mentor graduate and undergraduate students.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Postdoctoral Researcher will use next generation sequencing (NGS) techniques to investigate the mechanistic interactions between benthic marine invertebrates and their symbiotic microbes. Responsibilities include developing experimental frameworks involving animals and microbes, isolation and extraction of nucleic acids, and bioinformatic analyses of NGS data. Familiarity with the workflows for marker gene analyses (e.g., 16S/18S amplicons) and shotgun metagenomics (e.g., gene predictions, functional annotations, genome assembly, phylogenomics) is highly desirable. Experience with metatranscriptomics (e.g., RNA extraction, differential expression) would also be of interest. The individual will participate as both lead author and co-author in the preparation of project reports, scientific manuscripts for publication, preparation of proposals, and presentations of research results at international conferences. Depending on their interests, opportunities to collaborate on other research projects involving benthic invertebrate symbiosis such as interactions with microplastics and nanomaterials are possible. The work will be carried out predominantly in laboratories at the University of Connecticut, Department of Marine Sciences, Avery Point, CT. Some fieldwork such as the collection of animals will also be required.
Closing Date: January 05, 2024
