Post Doctorate RA - Virome
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them!
At PNNL, you will find an exciting research environment and excellent benefits including health insurance, flexible work schedules and telework options. PNNL is located in eastern Washington State—the dry side of Washington known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living. The Lab’s campus is only a 45-minute flight (or ~3 hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, and is serviced by the convenient PSC airport, connected to 8 major hubs.
Overview
The Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate (EBSD) leads novel and necessary research in three core areas: Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Environmental Molecular Sciences. The contributions of EBSD staff are many as we continue to elevate the impact of PNNL's science mission: to understand, predict, and control the complex adaptive systems underlying the science behind Earth, energy, and security.
Responsibilities
A postdoctoral fellowship is available in the Microbiome Science Team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to work on several exciting projects in viral ecology. Expertise in soil microbial ecology, virology, bioinformatics, analysis of omic data, and working in multidisciplinary teams are highly relevant.
The successful candidate will contribute to multi-institutional collaborative research investigating the role of viruses in soil ecosystems, including regulation of host density and diversity in microbial communities, influence on interkingdom metabolic interactions, and the effects of the soil virome on carbon cycling and response to environmental change. The position involves technical work integrating understanding from the lab to the field. The successful candidate will be responsible for experimental design, methodological optimization and data analysis, including from various high-throughput ‘omics platforms, such as DNA/RNA sequence data, proteomics and metabolomics. The incumbent will define and carry out experiments and original research in virome science largely focused in the area of omics technologies, however the candidate should have a breadth of skills to work on diverse data and sample types. In addition to technical research, this position expects participation and career development in experimental design, task management, collaborative research, proposal writing, publishing and presenting research at scientific conferences.
The ideal candidate should have a strong background in microbiology, virology, and statistics. The candidate should have good communication skills with a demonstrated capability to perform multi-disciplinary, collaborative research. The candidate should also have an interest in applying new approaches and knowledge to science problems associated with bioenergy, carbon cycling and climate change. The soil virome project is a close collaboration between biologists, soil ecologists, and bioinformaticians.
Minimum Qualifications:
Candidates must have received a PhD within the past five years (60 months) or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.
Desirable Qualifications:
• PhD in virology, microbiology, soil ecology, bioinformatics or a closely related field.
• Must be highly proficient with experimental virology work
• PhD in virology, microbiology, soil ecology, bioinformatics or a closely related field.
• Demonstrable affinity with virology and/or soil ecology
• Experience with experimental work and bioinformatics
• Highly motivated candidate with creative, critical and conceptual thinking skills
• Good communication skills
• Ability to work both independently and with different research groups