The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is committed to creating an environment of inclusive excellence that affirms diversity across a variety of dimensions. Inclusive excellence is the active process of including and respecting everyone as we strive for excellence and equitable outcomes in all we do at the University of Florida. We particularly welcome applicants who can contribute to such an environment through their scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and professional service.
We strongly encourage historically underrepresented groups to apply. 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 . 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.
The blueberry breeding and genomic lab have addressed various questions to understand the genetic basis of important fruit quality traits in order to implement marker-assisted selection in the breeding routine (Ferrao et al., 2020; Ferrao et al., 2018; Cappai et al., 2020). The availability of a high-quality reference genome was critical for our accomplishments (Benevenuto et al., 2019).
However, the use of a single reference genome might have limited our understanding of the population variability. To overcome this limitation, a recent wave of pangenomes is becoming available for many crop species, showing their importance for uncovering new genes, more complex variants, and rare alleles associated with traits (Tao et al., 2019; Gao et al., 2019). It has also been shown that pangenomes can increase accuracy of RNAseq analyses (Kaminow et al., 2022) and allow haplotype-aware expression quantification of transcripts (Sibbesen, et al, 2022).
Therefore, for this position, we are seeking a motivated research scholar to work with bioinformatics applied to an array of downstream pangenome applications including variant calling, transcriptomics, and haplotype-based analyses. In addition to bioinformatic analyses, the postdoc is also expected to prepare data reports, present at scientific events, publish results in peer-reviewed journals, support mentoring of students, and participate as appropriate in university governance.
As part of a post-doctoral experience, we offer opportunities and will encourage to participate and grow in research, teaching, grant writing, extension, and mentoring, all essential areas needed for the next step in your career. this model, we have a 100% success rate in placement in the desired job after working in our lab as a postdoc (n=5). Also relevant, our laboratory is fully embraced with the Artificial Intelligence Initiative at the University of Florida, with full access to the second most efficient supercomputer in higher education globally.
HiPerGator is a cluster that includes the latest generation of processors and offers nodes for memory-intensive computation. Starting at $55,000 depending on experience and contribution to the lab goals. Starting contract for 2 years, potentially extended up to 4 years based on performance. 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 top 9 in the center for world university rankings. 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 accelerating the cultivar development.
The lab just moved to a newly build building in October 2022 where state of the art equipment and facilities are available. 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.
Expected Salary: Commensurate with Education and Experience
Minimum Requirements: Required:
- A doctorate in the field of bioinformatics or related areas
- Demonstrate experience in bioinformatics through publications and GitHub profile
- Programming skills in Python, R, or other languages
- Experience with Unix operating system and bash scripts
- Strong team player and willing to train junior scientists
- Independent, self-motivated, well-organized, and critical thinker
- Good written and verbal communication skills in English
- Candidates must also have a commitment to UF core values of excellence, discovery & innovation, inclusion, freedom & civility, community, and stewardship.
Preferred Qualifications: Preferred:
- Experience with pangenome and haplotype analyses
- Special Instructions to Applicants:
- Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.
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 dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty and staff. The University and greater Gainesville community enjoy a diversity of cultural events, restaurants, year-round outdoor recreational activities, and social opportunities.
Applications close: 30 Aug 2023 Eastern Daylight Time