Employment Opportunities

Please send job postings and updates to the Web Editor Dr. Churamani Khanal (ckhanal@clemson.edu)

Post-doctoral Associate Position at University of Arkansas

Location: Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville AR

The Plant-Herbivore Interactions Laboratory (PI Fiona Goggin: https://enpl.uark.edu/people/faculty/uid/fgoggin/name/Fiona+Goggin/) is seeking a post-doctoral research associate to study the influence of plant elicitor peptides and beneficial rhizobacteria on 1) infection by nematodes and other soil-borne diseases of soybean; 2) plant growth and productivity; and 3) the root-associated microbiome.

Job Summary: This is a 12-month, full-time appointment, with renewal subject to satisfactory performance and continued funding. Job responsibilities may include conducting laboratory, greenhouse, and microplot bioassays to measure infection by root knot nematodes and soybean cyst nematodes; conducting laboratory and greenhouse assays to measure infection by Pythium, Fusarium, and other soil-borne diseases; phenotyping yield, photosynthetic activity, and above- and below-ground plant growth; measuring gene expression and other markers of plant defense signaling; and assisting with analysis of MiSeq data for targeted metagenomics to assess root microbial diversity and function. This job is housed in the University of Arkansas Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology (in the University of Arkansas Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology (https://enpl.uark.edu/about/index.php).

Qualifications:

Minimum Requirements: A Ph.D. in plant pathology or a related field is required, as well as strong written and oral communication skills, experience in statistical analysis, and prior experience working independently to design, conduct, and analyze experiments.

Preferred Experience: Prior experience in plant nematology is highly desirable, as well as experience in computational data analysis (R and other languages). Other relevant skills and expertise include plant microbiology, metagenomics, root phenotyping, processing and analysis of high-throughput DNA sequencing data, and RT-qPCR.

Application Instructions: Applicants can apply online at https://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/UASYS/job/Fayetteville/Post-Doctoral-Fellow_R0001733

Required Documents to Apply: Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, and List of three Profesional References (name, email, business title)

Questions:

For specific questions about the requirements of this position, please contact Dr. Fiona Goggin at fgoggin@uark.edu.

If you have a disability and need assistance with the hiring process and require reasonable accommodations, please contact the Division's Office of Inclusion, Access, and Compliance at bbatiste@uaex.edu.

For general application assistance, please contact Human Resources at 501-671-2219 or 479-502-9820.

Other Comments: The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture commits itself to policies of affirmative action and diversity with respect to both employment opportunities and program participation. The Division complies with these policies not merely because of legal requirements, but because we believe that such practices are basic to human dignity. As such, the Division welcomes all applicants to apply without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. Candidates must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment. All applicant information is subject to public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

Nematologist Principal Investigator and Quality Management Program Coordinator at FMC Corporation

Please use the following link to find the job description: https://jobs-fmc.icims.com/jobs/9391/nematologist-principal-investigator-and-quality-management-program-coordinator/job?branding=live

Graduate Research Assistantships at Purdue University

Lei Zhang Lab, Department of Botany & Plant Pathology

The Lei Zhang lab at Purdue University (https://ag.purdue.edu/btny/Pages/Profile.aspx?strAlias=leizhang&intDirDeptID=10) is seeking highly motivated applicants for graduate studies at PhD or MS levels for Fall of 2021. The research assistantships provide tuition waiver and stipend of $24,520/year. Students with molecular biology background are encouraged to apply.

Plant-parasitic nematodes are microscopic soil-borne roundworms, they infect and damage plant roots causing annual crop losses valued at $80-$118 billion worldwide. The Zhang lab is aimed to enhance understanding of plant-nematode interactions and plant resistance to nematodes at molecular, organismal and population levels using a diverse array of approaches. Research results have been published on prestigious journals, including Nature Plants, PLOS Pathogens, Molecular Plant Pathology, Plant Disease.

Prior research experience in plant-parasitic nematodes is NOT required for application. The successful applicants will have opportunities to be trained and work on basic research to study functions of virulent effector proteins secreted by plant-parasitic nematodes using protein-protein interactions, next-generation sequencing (NGS) and gene editing techniques; or applied project to develop novel bio-control agents with different mode-of-actions against nematodes.

How to apply: Interested students are asked to e-mail directly to Dr. Lei Zhang (leizhang@purdue.edu) the following documents no later than December 21, 2020: Resume, transcripts, statement of research interests. The subject of the email should be “Research assistantship Fall 2021”.

The College of Agriculture at Purdue University is one of the world’s leading colleges of agricultural, food, life, and natural resource sciences and ranked sixth in the US in the 2019 QS World University Rankings.

Post-doctoral Position at Purdue University

Postdoctoral researcher in molecular plant-nematode interactions

Purdue Nematology Lab

Department of Botany & Plant Pathology

Purdue University

### IMPORTANT: Do NOT apply via this website. Please read the job advertisement below to learn how to apply for this position. ###

The Nematology lab at Purdue University (https://ag.purdue.edu/btny/Pages/Profile.aspx?strAlias=leizhang&intDirDeptID=10) is seeking a post-doctoral researcher to study molecular plant-nematode interactions. The Nematology lab is part of Department of Botany & Plant Pathology, and Department of Entomology at College of Agriculture at Purdue. The Nematology lab is aimed to enhance understanding of plant-nematode interactions and nematode biology at molecular, organismal and population levels using a diverse array of approaches. The goal of research is to develop effective and sustainable tactics for nematode control in agriculture.

Job Summary: The appointee will conduct research to study effector proteins of root-knot nematodes and induced host resistance to plant-parasitic nematodes. Responsibilities and duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: (1) identify and study plant proteins targeted by nematode-secreted effectors using yeast two-hybrid, Co-IP and transgenic approaches; (2) transcriptome/RNA-seq analysis of plant responses to nematode effectors; (3) conduct nematode bioassays on Arabidopsis, tomato and soybean plants at different growth conditions; (4) collect, analyze, summarize data and maintain records; (5) prepare verbal and written reports of results to supervisor.

Required qualifications:

A PhD in plant pathology, plant science, or a related discipline.
Experience and demonstrated skills in molecular research in plants or plant-pathogen interactions.
Prior experience in nematology is NOT required.
Excellent communication and writing skills.
Proven ability to work independently and to work in teams.

Preferred qualifications:

Experience with analysis of NGS data and execution of bioinformatic pipelines.

Position term: initially for 12 months and can be renewed based on performance.

Salary and benefits: Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Benefits are provided via Purdue University.

Anticipated start date: December 1st, 2020 and is negotiable.

How to apply: Screening of applications will begin on October 16, 2020 and will continue until the position has been filled.

Candidates should apply directly to Dr. Lei Zhang via email to (leizhang@purdue.edu) by submitting a single PDF file containing: (1) cover letter; (2) current CV; (3) contact information of three references. The subject of the email should be “Postdoctoral researcher in nematology”. The cover letter should address your interest in this position and how you meet the qualifications, and your career goal.

The College of Agriculture at Purdue University is one of the world’s leading colleges of agricultural, food, life, and natural resource sciences and ranked sixth in the US in the 2019 QS World University Rankings. Purdue University is an EOE/AA employer. All individuals, including minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.

University of Manitoba Graduate Student Assistantships

The laboratory for Applied Soil Ecology at the University of Manitoba (http://soilecology.ca/; Twitter @soilecologyUMan) is seeking highly motivated and talented candidates for training leading to MSc or PhD degrees. Students will undertake graduate research to understand host and environmental preferences, yield damage, and control strategies of plant-parasitic nematodes in the Canadian Prairie Provinces. The nematodes to be examined include members of the genus Ditylenchus and Pratylenchus. Crops examined include major field, pulse and horticultural crops grown on the Canadian Prairies. The research involves microscopic and molecular identification of nematodes. Candidates will have excellent oral and written skills in English and have completed a 4-year equivalent BSc in the agricultural or natural sciences. Students with experience in nematology are encouraged to apply. Salary is $18,500/yr for two years to MSc students and $21,000/yr for four years to PhD students. Students who already have scholarships are encouraged to apply as a top-up salary is available to them. The training is funded by several government and industry sources to projects lead by the Applied Soil Ecology Laboratory. For more information on this opportunity please send a detailed CV, statement of relevant experience, availability, and list of three referees by email to Dr. Mario Tenuta, Professor of Applied Soil Ecology, mario.tenuta@umanitoba.ca, please use the subject heading “Graduate Studies Nematology”.

Society of Nematologists

P.O. Box 190

Mesilla Park, New Mexico 88047

societyofnematologists@gmail.com