From the inbox: Rebanks Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

Rebanks Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

Cetacean Genomics and Mammalian Bioinformatics

The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto invites applications for a Rebanks Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in the Department of Natural History starting ideally in February 2017. The successful candidate will work full time in the lab of Dr. Mark Engstrom developing a program on whale genomics and bioinformatics of mammals.

This is a two-year fellowship with an annual salary of $50,000 that provides Canadian citizens or Canadian landed immigrants who have obtained their doctorate degree in the last five years the opportunity to pursue their research with the support of one of Canada’s leading research institutions. The ROM is a superlative showcase of the world’s cultural and natural history – a place of discovery, learning, inspiration and imagination for visitors and staff alike.

With the salvaging of two blue whales from Newfoundland by the ROM in 2014, we have the unprecedented opportunity to sequence the first complete genome of this endangered species, to investigate questions concerning their evolution, phylogeny, historical demography, and conservation in relation to other cetaceans and mammals in general. The candidate will be able to interact with various collaborating labs and will be part of the active and diverse community of evolutionary biologists at the ROM and the University of Toronto.

We seek applicants with excellent skills in de novo next-generation genome assembly and analysis of genomic data with strong programming experience with R, Perl, or Phython, and statistical skills. Other required experience includes molecular laboratory skills such as primer design, PCR optimization, DNA sequencing, and sequence editing and alignment. Familiarity with theoretical phylogenetics, including current developments in tree reconstruction methods and experience with phylogenetic analysis software is needed for the position.

Candidates should electronically submit a letter of application detailing their research experience, interest in the position, preferred start date, curriculum vitae, and names with contact details of three references to: Dr. Mark Engstrom, Deputy Director of Collections & Research and Senior Curator of Mammalogy, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C6, Canada. Application materials must be received by January 6, 2017 for consideration. We especially encourage applications from women and members of minority groups.