Phylogenomics/evolutionary genomics of gymnosperms

A Postdoctoral Research Fellow position is available in Sergios-Orestis
Kolokotronis' research group at the Department of Epidemiology &
Biostatistics in the School of Public Health and the Institute for Genomic
Health at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, NY. The
successful applicant will join a large, collaborative NSF-funded project
to disentangle the genome evolution of gymnosperms, the oldest surviving
lineage of seed plants. Three of the four extant gymnosperm lineages
contain species which Darwin termed "living fossils." These have been
present since the Devonian Era and have survived an incredible range of
climatic changes, mass extinction events, and adaptation challenges. The
genomes of almost all the gymnosperms are extremely large and complex
and have been somewhat refractive to genomic characterization as a
result. Through the use of nanopore sequencing, transcriptomics, and
epigenetics, we have been characterizing the genomes of these species,
asking questions on evolutionary radiations and genome resilience. In this
project, we interact with the genome assembly and annotation group, and
contribute to orthology assessment. We investigate gene family evolution
by adopting macroevolutionary phylogenetic methods, phylotranscriptomics,
as well as natural selection scans. Our wider interests draw from
population genetics, phylogenetics and community ecology, using
bioinformatics and computational biology to understand organismal
diversification and adaptation across landscapes and time scales. Our
group is located in the new Public Health Academic Building on the SUNY
Downstate campus in Central Brooklyn. We interact with a diverse group
of health research investigators in the Institute for Genomic Health,
and through our affiliations in the School of Public Health and the
Division of Infectious Diseases in the College of Medicine. Our lab is
outfitted with an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 instrument for high-throughput
sequencing, and we have been expanding our HPC capacity on site and
on the cloud. HPC access is also available at partner institutions
through the PI. More information can be found at http://kolokolab.org
and https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=u3i_xH4AAAAJ&hl=en.

Candidates should have a doctoral -or equivalent- degree in life
or computational sciences. A training background in bioinformatics,
computational biology, molecular evolution and comparative genomics
is required. A keen interest in plant biology and infectious disease
systems is desirable. The successful candidate must be capable of working
independently in an interdisciplinary, diverse, collaborative environment,
and have strong analytical, quantitative, and English writing skills,
evidenced by scholarly peer-reviewed publications. In addition to
formal collaborations with our partner institutions in this project
(CSHL, NYBG, NYU, AMNH, JHU, Purdue, NY Plant Genomics Consortium),
opportunities exist to branch out in research on genomic epidemiology of
infectious and chronic diseases (funded by NIH and NSF), grant proposal
writing, mentoring of students, and teaching. Salary is commensurate
with experience. Start date is ASAP. Applications should include in
this order: 1) a Statement of Research Interests, 2) a CV, 3) two (2)
manuscripts, and 4) the contact information of 3 referees in a single PDF
file emailed to sok@downstate.edu with this Subject line "Postdoc-NSF
Plants". Referees should be notified that they might be contacted.

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is an affirmative-action,
equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender
identity or expression, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy,
predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence
victim status, criminal conviction, and all other protected classes under
federal or state laws. Women, minorities, veterans, individuals with
disabilities and members of underrepresented groups are encouraged to
apply. If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable
accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to
perform the essential functions of a position, please contact Human
Resources at 718-270-3025.

Lead Biological Field Technician

NatureServe is a 501(C)3 organization that supports biodiversity conservation at the local, national and international levels through our network of member programs and other institutional alliances. NatureServe is recruiting seasonal biological field technicians to collect data in support of vegetation community sampling in dry sagebrush and woodland habitats in northeastern California and northwestern Nevada. The project involves field data collection of Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) information on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in the Applegate and Eagle Lake districts in northeastern California and adjacent Nevada, with supplemental data collection in support of ongoing fuels and fire monitoring.

NatureServe is seeking to fill up to two full-time, seasonal crew lead field biological technician to conduct field sampling. The field season is expected to occur from late April to mid-August. The work will include following established vegetation and soil sampling methods on new or existing ecological monitoring sites, including plot and line-based sampling, identification of plants to the species level, digging soil pits and analyzing soils. Knowledge of native plants, the flora of northeastern California and northwestern Nevada, ecological field monitoring methods, field sampling and project management needed. Availability for participation in a BLM AIM training near Susanville, CA in late April is strongly preferred.

Lead Technician positions would start up to 2 weeks in advance of the field season to assist with planning field logistics and safety. Lead Technician position includes responsibility for supporting crew safety in the field, and coordinating sampling logistics and scheduling, including organization and quality control of paper and electronic field data.

Must be able to work 10-hour days for 8 days at a time (followed by 6 days off), while working and camping in remote locations.

Required qualifications:

-A completed BS/BA degree with two years of coursework in ecology, natural resources, range management, or an equivalent combination of training and experience
-Field experience collecting scientific data and experience with vegetation data sampling
-Experience coordinating logistics of data collection and safety planning for field crews
-Experience navigating with topographic maps and compass, aerial photography and GPS to remote field locations
-Ability to identify plants in the field to the species level and experience using dichotomous keys
-Willingness and ability to work long hours and unusual schedules (typically 10 hours a day for 8 days) while car camping
-Ability to hike up to 5 miles / day while carrying a heavy pack (up to 40 lbs), and ability to assist in digging soil pits and in analyzing soils and erosion data
-A valid driver’s license


Desired qualifications:

-Willingness to work in challenging conditions including hot and cold weather, rugged terrain, and outdoor hazards while maintaining a commitment to team safety
-Careful attention to detail and strong organizational skills to complete lengthy field forms and electronic data entry
-Previous experience with the BLM AIM methodology
-Wilderness First Aid or other field safety training preferred
-Experience driving 4x4 vehicles on rough roads