Postdoc Aso

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is creating an environment that affirms community across all dimensions. We particularly welcome applicants who can contribute to such an environment through their scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and professional service. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF .

Duties and Responsibilities

The blueberry breeding and genomic lab focuses on developing new blueberry cultivars that are used around the globe in tropical and subtropical areas, mentoring and training people to reach their full potential to work in different fields, and developing knowledge addressing various biological and agronomical questions related to blueberries and polyploid species.

Functional characterization of candidate genes, previously identified in the laboratory, will validate their association with traits related to fruit quality, flowering, disease resistance, etc., allowing for the implementation of breeding strategies, such as marker assisted selection, accelerating the generation of new blueberry cultivars.

This is a 12-month, non-tenure-accruing position, available in the Horticultural Science Department Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida. This position will be focused on generating and testing genome editing tools to support the blueberry breeding program, by identifying candidate genes associated with traits relevant to this fruit crop and testing their functionality through targeted mutagenesis.

You will be expected to use molecular tools to characterize candidate genes, including DNA and RNA extraction, real time PCR, gene cloning and vector construction. You will also implement tissue culture techniques to propagate, regenerate and transform selected blueberry cultivars from the breeding program. You will be working with an interdisciplinary team that will support the execution of proposed activities related with genome editing. Additionally, you will be expected to contribute to improving proposed research projects and providing new ideas for future projects. Finally, your position will include; mentoring undergrad and graduate students, preparing reports and presentations, and publishing results in peer-reviewed journals.

As part of your experience in our lab, we offer opportunities to help you grow your skills in research, teaching, grant writing, extension, and mentoring, all essential for continuing your career. Following this model, we have a 100% success rate in job placement after working in our lab as a postdoc (n=5).

Background Information :

The University of Florida is a Land-Grant, Sea-Grant, and Space-Grant institution, encompassing virtually all academic and professional disciplines, with an enrollment of more than 56,000 students.  UF is a member of The Association of American Universities.  The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences includes the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences , the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station , the Florida Cooperative Extension Service , the College of Veterinary Medicine , the Florida Sea Grant program, and encompasses 16 on-campus academic departments and schools, 12 Research and Educational Centers (REC) located throughout the state, 6 Research sites/demonstration units administered by RECs or academic departments, and Florida Cooperative Extension Service offices in all 67 counties (counties operate and maintain). The School of Natural Resources and Environment is an interdisciplinary unit housed in IFAS and managed by several colleges on campus.  UF/IFAS employs nearly 4,500 people, which includes approximately 990 salaried faculty and 1,400 permanent support personnel located in Gainesville and throughout the state. IFAS, one of the nation’s largest agricultural and natural resources research and education organizations, is administered by a Vice President and four deans: the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Dean for Extension and Director of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the Dean for Research and Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine.  UF/IFAS also engages in cooperative work with Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.

The Horticultural Sciences Department is a unit within IFAS at the University of Florida and has diverse teaching, research, and extension education programs with 34 faculty in Gainesville and 26 faculty at various Research and Education Centers throughout the state. The Horticultural Sciences Department is currently ranked in the top of global universities in this field.

The Blueberry Breeding and Genomic Lab is a lab within the Horticultural Science Department. The lab is led by Dr. Patricio Munoz who is an associate professor with more than 16 years of experience in plant breeding. The lab goals are both blueberry cultivar development and research methods that help accelerate cultivar development. The lab has moved to a new building as of late 2022, where state-of-the-art equipment and facilities are available.

Starting at $50,000, commensurate with experience

• A doctorate (foreign equivalent acceptable) in any of the following: plant biology, breeding physiology; agronomy with a specialization in plant transformation or gene editing; related fields.
• Experience with the aforementioned molecular and tissue culture techniques as well as bioinformatics and statistics.
• Mentoring, tutoring, or other work which demonstrates an ability to train junior scientists.
• Be self-motivated and well organized, with the ability to work independently and think critically.
• Good written and spoken communication skills.
• Candidates must also have a commitment to UF core values of excellence, discovery & innovation, inclusion, freedom & civility, community, and stewardship. 

Woody plant or fruit crop genome editing/genetic transformation will be a plus.

Employment Conditions

This position will begin October 1, 2023, or as soon as the chosen candidate will be available.

Application Information

• Individuals wishing to apply should go online to Careers at UF and submit:
• Cover letter that states applicant’s motivation in the position and qualifications relative to the credentials listed above.
• Curriculum vitae
• Contact information (including email addresses) for 3 individuals willing to write letters of recommendation.

Selected candidate will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible.  Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) .

Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. The University of Florida is a public institution and subject to all requirements under Florida Sunshine and Public Record laws.

The University of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Institution. The University and greater Gainesville community enjoy a diversity of cultural events, restaurants, year-round outdoor recreational activities, and social opportunities.