Director of the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences announces a competition for a postdoctoral position

A postdoctoral research assistant position is available at the research group led by Dr hab. Andre E. Moura at the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The research group is focused on cetacean ecology and evolution, and this position will be part of the NCN funded project titled ”Analysis of micro-evolutionary changes in a host genome in response to multiple viral infections in wild animals”. The project will involve genomic analyses of dolphins in relation to pathogenic infection. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to participate in other research projects of the group, and will be encouraged to apply for further funding.

The position is available for 2 years and 2 months, and includes a three month probation period. The expected start date is early March 2021, or sooner if the successful candidate is available. The research group is based at the Research Station of the Museum and Institute of Zoology (MIZ), Polish Academy of Sciences in Gdańsk – Górki Wschodnie, and maintains strong links with the main research facilities of the MIZ in Warsaw. Therefore, research visits at the main MIZ facilities in Warsaw may be required as part of the job duties. The Research Station also hosts groups working on canid genomics and avian immunogenetics.

Work description

This position will involve carrying out research work as agreed with the group leader. This may involve all the stages of research, including sample collection, laboratory work, data analysis, and preparation of manuscripts for publication, as well as participation in the supervision of PhD students as a second supervisor and contribution to administrative tasks associated with the project. The work will require learning and development of new laboratory procedures and new methods of data analysis, and therefore strong self-motivation and willingness to learn is essential. The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to grant applications submitted by the group, and will be encouraged to apply for independent funding available for early career researchers. The postdoctoral researcher will thus have the opportunity to propose and explore new research questions within the general remit of the research group.

Requirements

The post-doctoral assistant will have expertise in evolutionary biology, population ecology or bioinformatics. Candidates can have a background (BSc or MSc degree) in biology, zoology, bioinformatics, computer science, or related fields, and a PhD degree (awarded or to be awarded soon) in a relevant area. The PhD degree should have been awarded no earlier than 7 years before the start of employment. Preferably, the candidate must be eligible to work in Poland at the time of appointment. The following essential skills are required:

1. Experience with preparation of biological samples for molecular biology analyses
2. Good knowledge of evolutionary theory and/or population genetic theory
3. Knowledge of command line environments (e.g. Linux, DOS, R);
4. Experience with custom scripts for biological analyses (e.g. Perl, Python, Shell, R scripts);
5. Good organisational skills;
6. Experience with large databases;
7. Ability to work independently and to communicate with a multi-disciplinary team;

Desirable skills include:

8. Experience with analysing whole-genome datasets, aligning to reference genomes, SNP detection;
9. Experience with software for evolutionary genomic analyses;
10. Experience with online genomic databases;
11. Good understanding of natural selection theory;
12. Good understanding of mammalian immune system;
13. Experience of working in an international team.

Research environment

The research at the MIZ is focused on a broad range of themes in animal biology, including systematics, biogeography, evolutionary biology, ecology and population genetics. Andre Moura’s research group is part of the Laboratory of the Molecular and Biometric Techniques led by Prof. Wieslaw Bogdanowicz, grouping researchers focused on population genetics, phylogeography and evolutionary genomics of a broad range of animal taxa. MIZ laboratories contain modern equipment for genomic analyses, including Pacific Biosciences RSII long-read sequencer and Illumina MiSeq System. The state-of-the-art ancient DNA laboratory carries out work on mammalian palaeogenetics. The Museum’s zoological collection is among the largest and most valuable in Europe.

Employment conditions

Employment period: 26 months, subject to a 3-month probation period. Start date: 1^st March 2021, or soon after appointment. The salary is funded by the Polish National Science Centre (NCN).

Documents required in the application

1. Copy of a PhD certificate
2. Curriculum vitae including the publication list, with the following statement provided at the end and signed:

“I give my consent to the processing of personal data provided in my application documents by the Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS for the purpose of the recruitment process, pursuant to the Personal Data Protection Act of 10 May 2018 (Journal of Laws 2018, item 1000) and in agreement with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data

Protection Regulation; L 119 from 04.05.2016)”.

Applications that do not include this statement won't be considered.

3. Motivation letter (maximum one page)
4. A copy of one research paper to be evaluated in the recruitment process
5. Contact details of two persons who can be contacted for

These documents should be sent to Andre Moura Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript. no later than 29.01. 2021. The title of the message should be “Application for a postdoctoral position in dolphin genomics”. Informal inquiries can also be addressed to Andre Moura.

The interviews of shortlisted candidates will take place in early February at the Research Station of the Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS in Gdańsk-Górki Wschodnie. A Skype interview can be arranged.

The contest will be adjudicated no later than 20.02.2021