Postdoctoral position in computational biology of genes-to-ecosystems-to-models scaling in the Arctic

Where: The Ohio State University, Microbiology Department, in the lab of Virginia Rich.When: Starting when the right applicant is found.

We seek to fill a key position in a new cutting-edge NASA-funded project, “From Archaea to the Atmosphere: Integrating Microbial, Isotopic and Landscape-Scale Observations to Quantify Methane Emissions from Global High-Latitude Ecosystems”, with a motivated computational biologist or microbial informatician. This is a unique, interdisciplinary opportunity, in a project that brings together microbial meta-omic datasets, carbon gas emissions profiling, and remote sensing of hydrology and vegetation, from a range of Arctic field sites, into a multi-scale modeling framework to improve predictions of climate feedbacks. The postdoctoral researcher will be based at the Ohio State University but will work closely with the broader project team, comprised of interdisciplinary experts from seven organizations spanning the public and private sectors (Ruth Varner, Mike Palace, Bobby Braswell & Jia Deng at University of New Hampshire; Nathan Torbick & Justin Fisk at Applied Geosolutions, Inc.; Patrick Crill at Stockholm University; Joanne Shorter at Aerodyne, Inc.; Jamie Lamit at Michigan Tech University; Carrie McCalley at Rochester Institute of Technology). As part of this international team, s/he will develop an interdisciplinary perspective and vocabulary, with opportunities to travel to the field sites and partner institutions.

The researcher’s role will be to (a) interface with a full-stack large-scale multi-omics database already developed for one of the sites (and whose creator is a team member), to capture data from the additional sites and new characterizations; (b) perform integrated analyses of microbiota across the targeted locations, in a coordinated conceptual framework with the modelers, to examine emergent pan-Arctic patterns as well as distill commonalities for inclusion in the models.

We are looking for a researcher with strong experience in computational biology, microbial informatics, and/or mathematical microbial ecology. It is essential that s/he will have a PhD in biological science, computer science, bioinformatics or computational biology with experience applying computational methods to analyze large-scale biological data sets. In addition, the successful candidate will need excellent programming skills in at least one of the following languages (for interfacing with the database): Python, perl, C#, or JavaScript.

Additional desired qualifications: Comfortable working with Git Knowledge in database management of structure and unstructured data Experience in web development using JavaScript/jQuery, CSS, front-end JS frameworks and HTML5 Comfortable working with graph databases (Neo4j) and REST APIs Experience in construction of graph queries to analyze large-scale datasets Self-motivated and able to work in a team with minimal supervision Working with interdisciplinary teams to understand dataset requirements

This position is rich with opportunities: immersion in scientifically novel interdisciplinary integration that is also policy-relevant; travel to an annual project workshop &, if desired, field sites; attendance at scientific meetings; leadership of manuscript writing; potential co-mentoring of students; as well as extensive career mentorship for the researcher her/himself, with an emphasis on clear communication of science. The researcher will also have the opportunity and framework for engaging with large and vibrant community of scientists at the Ohio State University, which also houses the Mathematical Biosciences Institute. Columbus, Ohio, is a verdant, river-filled and diverse city. Also please note that OSU has progressive, family-friendly policies with potential for flexible work schedules and less-than-full-time options, possibly including location flexibility.

Salary is commensurate with experience. The position begins as soon as a suitable applicant is found. Review of applications will commence immediately.

To apply, please email the following items to virginia.isabel.rich@gmail.com, with the subject “NASA-IDS postdoc applicant”:- Cover Letter. The cover letter should include your email and contact address and telephone number. It is an

opportunity to introduce yourself and highlight the key reasons you should be considered for this specific role. Explicitly address how you meet the essential qualifications, and which of the desired qualifications you have.

- Curriculum Vitae, covering the following areas: Educational qualifications and professional affiliations that detail the full title of the qualification, the year

awarded and the title of the institution attended; Employment history in chronological order, starting with current position and specifying dates of

employment, title of each position, name of employer, main duties or accountabilities and achievements; and The names and contact details (address, telephone, fax and e-mail) of three referees, including a senior

person (preferably your supervisor or the head of your organizational unit) closely associated with your current work.

- Brief research statement. A statement of no more than one page addressing prior research experience.

Please do not “broadcast spawn” a generic application for this position; it is an unprofessional and unsuccessful job-search strategy, and the materials will be discarded without review.