The University of Missouri-Columbia, the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, and the Interdisciplinary Plant Group invites applications for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate position in plant single-cell computational biology in the Libault Lab. This 12-month (calendar year), full-time (1.0 FTE) special appointment will focus on expertise bioinformatics, computational biology, machine learning, and plant genomics. The apportionment is 100% research. This position will be located in Columbia, Missouri:
The Libault lab seeks to explore and understand the network of plant genes, and their regulation in response to environmental stress at the single-cell level. These discoveries will lead to the development of new strategies to improve crop characteristics and performance. Therefore, using single-cell-omics datasets, the postdoctoral associate will work on genomics, epigenetics, and/or bioinformatics/computational biology to characterize and functionally validate legume the transcriptional programs controlling the symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, their regulation in response to environmental stresses, and their differential regulation between legume species.
The selected postdoctoral researcher will have opportunities to work and develop computational resources to conduct:
Comparative analyses of gene expression between crop species.
Analyses of plant single-cell-omics datasets, integration of multiomic datasets, transcriptomic trajectories, and prediction of gene networks.
This project presents opportunities to work in a collaborative and very dynamic environment with computational and molecular biologists. The University of Missouri provides a stimulating atmosphere with excellent facilities Cores & centers | Research, Innovation & Impact (missouri.edu), and colleagues for high-quality research in agricultural and plant sciences.
In addition to the above-described duties, the individual will be expected to accept committee assignments, reporting responsibilities, and other special ad hoc assignments as requested at the administrative unit, college, and/or university level.
This position is a full-time assignment, contingent on successful performance and continued funding.
Review of applications will begin March 31, 2024, and continue until the position is filled or the search is closed.
To view details of the position and create an application, go to https://erecruit.umsystem.edu/psc/tamext/COLUM/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&Action=U&SiteId=9&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=9&JobOpeningId=49130&PostingSeq=1&
Attach the following documents:
A letter of interest that describes your qualifications for the job, anticipated contributions, and your experience contributing to inclusive environments.
Your curriculum vitae.
Contact information for three professional references.
A Ph.D. in plant computational biology/genomics, bioinformatics, machine learning, or a related field is required at the time of hiring. Prior knowledge and demonstrated expertise in next-generation sequencing data analysis, computational systems biology, and/or data integration, excellent oral and written communication skills, and the ability to work in a team are also required.
Preference will be given to candidates with a solid knowledge of plant genomics, evolution, gene expression/regulation, and biological networks.
Dr. Marc Libault is a Professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology and a member of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group at the University of Missouri-Columbia (USA). He received his Ph.D. degree in 2004 from the University of Paris-Sud in Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology working on the HP1-like protein in Arabidopsis thaliana. In 2005, he joined the University of Missouri-Columbia as a post-doctoral associate to study the symbiotic interaction between the soybean root and the nitrogen-fixing bacteria, Rhizobia. In 2011, as a faculty at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Libault developed a system biology approach on the root hair cell, a unique plant root cell type involved in the uptake of water and nutrients from the soil and the first cell infected by Rhizobia in legume plants. In 2018, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and pioneered the field of plant single-nucleus technologies to analyze the differential use of the genomic information between plant cells. As a professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, he is expanding the use of plant single-nucleus biology, spatial -omics, and system biology to study various species and stresses including legumes to study their symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
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