Post Doctoral Scholar in the Evolutionary Histories of Polyploids and Closely Related Species

Screen reader users may encounter difficulty with this site. For assistance with applying, please contact hr-accessibleapplication@osu.edu. If you have questions while submitting an application, please review these frequently asked questions.

Current Employees and Students:

If you are currently employed or enrolled as a student at The Ohio State University, please log in to Workday to use the internal application process.

Welcome to The Ohio State University’s career site.  We invite you to apply to positions of interest. In order to ensure your application is complete, you must complete the following:

• Ensure you have all necessary documents available when starting the application process. You can review the additional job description section on postings for documents that may be required.
• Prior to submitting your application, please review and update (if necessary) the information in your candidate profile as it will transfer to your application.

Job Title:

Post Doctoral Scholar

Department:

Arts and Sciences | Molecular Genetics Administration

A Post Doctoral Scholar position is available in Dr. Shujun Ou’s laboratory at the Department of Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University (OSU). The Ou lab studies the functional and evolutionary consequences of transposable element activities in plants. This project aims to utilize TEs as molecular markers to study the evolutionary histories of polyploids and closely related species. Primarily, this project will use LTR retrotransposons as the molecular marker because they prefer insertions in intergenic regions that are considered neutral or nearly neutral, which is perfect for evolutionary modeling. Furthermore, the age of LTR retrotransposons can be individually dated by comparing the divergence of the terminal repeat of each element. We have developed a promising framework and collected exciting preliminary results for this project. The Post Doctoral Scholar in this position will be working on an accurate and efficient way to identify informative TE markers and develop generalized tools to study the evolutionary histories of species, including introgression, divergence, and speciation. The Post Doctoral Scholar will successfully complete this work through conducting experiments and analyses and communicating those results with collaborators. This position also will write manuscripts for scientific journals and present findings in national/international conferences.

Previous works:

Dr. Ou has been developing high-quality tools for TE studies. For example, the LTR_retriever for accurate and sensitive annotations of LTR retrotransposons (490 citations since 2018); the Extensive de-novo TE Annotator (EDTA) for whole-genome structural and homological TE annotations (360 citations since 2019); the LTR Assembly Index (LAI) for evaluations of the TE space assembly (300 citations since 2018). You will have the opportunity to develop new tools or improve the existing ones in this position (this is not a requirement), which will further promote the TE research field and help establish your career.

Term of hire:

The postdoctoral scholar position is initially a two-year appointment, renewable for up to three additional years, depending on performance and availability of funds. This position is anticipated to start in July 2023.

Application Materials:

Inquiries may be directed to Dr. Shujun Ou at ou.195@osu.edu. Please attach a cover letter for a description of your research experience, curriculum vitae, and names and contacts of three references in your Workday application (Click the Apply button on this web page). Review of applicants will start immediately until the position is filled. You are also invited to propose relevant research ideas that differ from this position.

Pay Rate:

≥$52,000 annual salary plus generous benefits dependent on experience.

Minimum Education Required

Ph.D. in STEM field by the start date

Required Qualifications

1. Strong genomic or bioinformatic skills (OR eagerness to learn)

2. Passionate and comfortable to work independently

3. Good written and verbal communication skills

4. Have Ph.D. in a STEM field by the start date.

Additional Information:

The Department of Molecular Genetics within the College of Arts and Sciences seeks a Post Doctoral Scholar to join our team. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college and the academic heart of the university. The College hosts 81 majors. With 38 departments, 20+ world-class research centers, and more than 2,000 faculty and staff members, students have the unique opportunity to study with the best artists, scholars, and scientists in their field.  The College values diversity and offers a supportive, open, and inclusive community.

Location:

Aronoff Laboratory (0131)

Position Type:

Term (Fixed Term)

Scheduled Hours:

40

Shift:

First Shift