Postdoctoral Positions Available at the University of Oklahoma (OE205)

Three to four postdoctoral positions are available at the Institute for Environmental Genomics (IEG) and Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, the University of Oklahoma (OU) located in Norman, Oklahoma.

The city of Norman is a university town with approximately 100,000 people and easy access to Oklahoma City, OK and Dallas, TX, and the University is working closely with the City on community and economic development. Norman was ranked #6 among the best places to live in 2008 by the CNN/Money Magazine on America’s best small cities (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/snapshots/PL4052500.html).

The Institute for Environmental Genomics, led by Dr. Jizhong Zhou, has state-of-the-art facilities for the study of microbial functional genomics, microbial ecology, metagenomics, single cell technology, and biotechnology development to address fundamental scientific questions.

Four research themes are pursued at IEG:

1. functional and comparative genomics for understanding gene function, regulation, networks and evolution,
2. microbial ecology and community genomics for understanding the diversity, composition, structure, function and dynamics of microbial communities related to global change, bioremediation, land use, bioenergy, and agricultural practices as well as their linkages with ecosystem functioning using metagenomics approaches, such as functional gene arrays, high-throughput sequencing, and single cell genomics,
3. development of metagenomic and bioinformatic tools for high throughput data analysis and predictive modeling of molecular ecological networks, and
4. development and implementation of ecosystem modeling tools to investigate the responses of microbial communities and soil biogeochemical processes to climate and environmental changes.

IEG researchers have pioneered the development and application of functional gene arrays (e.g., GeoChip), and metagenomic sequencing (e.g., MiSeq sequencing of phylogenetic and functional gene amplicons) for microbial community analysis, and for quantitative analysis. IEG is also establishing a Raman-based single cell genomics facility. The selected candidates will apply these technologies to understand the diversity, composition, structure, function, dynamics and interaction of microbial communities, and address fundamental questions related to global change, bioremediation, land use, bioenergy, and agricultural practice.

Candidates with strong background, interest, and experience in microbial ecology, soil science, theoretical ecology, and/or metagenomics are encouraged to apply. Additional experience is desirable but not required in bioinformatics, mathematics, computer science, and/or statistics. All individuals will work cooperatively with scientists from different institutions, such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley, Michigan State University, University of New Mexico, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation as well as foreign countries like China, Korea and Singapore. Interested individuals should send their curriculum vita, a description of research interests and accomplishments (e.g., publications), and the names and telephone numbers of at least three references to Dr. Jizhong Zhou (jzhou@ou.edu). Salary will be commensurate with experience, expertise and skills. Further information can be found on the IEG web site: http://ieg.ou.edu/. We will begin screening candidates immediately and will continue until all positions are filled.

The University of Oklahoma is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and encourages diversity in the workplace. Protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

The offer’s description is downloadable here.