Post-doctoral Associate Position in Disease Suppressive Soil and Microbiome

A postdoctoral associate position is available to study turfgrass rhizosphere, phyllosphere and fungal pathogen hyphosphere microbiome, and their functions in suppressing or promoting turfgrass diseases using multi-omics techniques. This post-doctoral associate position will be housed in the Chou lab and co-advised by Dr. Ning Zhang in the Department of Plant Biology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ. This position will also work intimately with the productive researchers in the Center for Turfgrass Science at Rutgers and contribute to the overall mission of the Center. 

The position will have the following responsibilities:

  • Designing and conducting experiments to investigate disease suppressive soil in turfgrass and decipher the potential disease suppression mechanisms using (but not limit to) the following techniques - amplicon-sequencing, metagenomics, metabolomics, genomics, and transcriptomics.
  • Completing required lab and field tasks relevant to the overall research goals such as sample collection, library preparation, metabolite fractionation, visual and statistical analyses of the omics data.
  • Isolating microbes from plant and soil materials using conventional and high-throughput methods.
  • Identifying microbial isolates and maintaining active and long-term culture collections.
  • Performing pathogen antagonism assays, metabolite extraction, and phenotyping on microbial isolates to characterize their roles in disease suppressive soil.
  • Analyzing large multi-omics datasets and preparing manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications.
  • Rating turfgrass diseases in the field and controlled-environment visually and with image-analysis tools.
  • Mentoring graduate and undergraduate researchers in the lab.
  • Supporting other members in the lab and field and maintaining professional relationships with collaborators.
  • Complying with high standards of work ethics, regulations and rules required by the school and department.

The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. degree in plant pathology, microbiology, or related discipline with extensive experience in multi-omics techniques, statistic and data analysis using R/Python, bioinformatic proficiency and excellent communication and writing skills. The position will involve collaborating with mycologists, soil scientists, plant breeders, and plant pathologists. If an exceptional candidate is identified whose ambition and capabilities exceed the proposed study's scope, we are open to adjusting the research direction and techniques accordingly. The Chou lab is committed to accommodate any current and future lab members for their personal and professional development to the best of our capability within reason.

The starting salary is $54,250 and will be commensurate with experience. The initial appointment is for one year; renewal for additional years is likely pending satisfactory performance. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please reach out to Dr. Ming-Yi Chou (mingyi.chou@rutgers.edu) with any questions about the position. Interested applicants are to apply online at https://jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/199300 and upload a single pdf file containing: 1) a cover letter describing your research experience and interest in the position; 2) a curriculum vitae; 3) names and contact information of at least three professional references.

Application deadline: Open until filled
Start date: TBD
Location: Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA