Postdoctoral Associate

The Herpetology Division of the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) is seeking an independent and creative postdoctoral scientist that will conduct studies of frog diets, gut microbiomes, and gastrointestinal parasites using metabarcoding of preserved museum specimens. The scientist will work with the PI and collaborators to develop sampling and analysis protocols, collect, process, and analyze samples, and assist with development of a database that synthesizes newly collected data with that from previous studies.

The successful applicant will be based at the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) and work directly with and be supervised by Dr. David Blackburn (FLMNH), as well as interact with two collaborating faculty, Dr. Rob Guralnick (FLMNH) and Dr. Ana Longo (UF Department of Biology). This will be a highly collaborative environment with interactions with PI, collaborators, staff, and students. The successful applicant will work to develop protocols for non-destructive sampling and metagenomic barcoding of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract of preserved museum specimens of frogs, as well as supervise at least one undergraduate research assistant. They will also work with the supervisor and collaborators to design analytical workflows. After demonstrating proof-of-concept, they are expected to assist in designing training materials about these methods. A portion of time will also be dedicated to pursuing independent research related to metagenomics and genomics of amphibians.

Following the guidance of the National Academies of Science and Engineering on how to best enhance postdoctoral experiences (http://bit.ly/NASEpostdoc), the PI will provide: clear communication about the nature of the work to be performed and evaluation processes; career counseling; training in preparation of grant proposals, publications, and presentations; guidance on ways to improve teaching and mentoring skills; guidance on how to effectively collaborate with researchers from diverse backgrounds and disciplinary areas and with members of the local community; and training in responsible professional practices.

Expected Start Date: September 1, 2023

$55,000 annually; commensurate with qualifications and experience. This is a one-year position with the possibility of renewing for a second year.

PhD Required

Applicants should have experience with metagenomics (preferably related to vertebrate samples), familiarity working with natural history collections, and strong analytical skills developing metagenomics workflows. Experience creating and/or working with databases, gene catalogs, metagenomes, and/or hybrid assemblies of short and long reads, is also preferred.

Applicants should have strong writing, presentation, and organizational skills and be highly collaborative.

Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.