Postdoctoral Scholar: Beneficial Microbes in Agriculture

• CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click "Apply" and complete the application process for external applicants.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The Burghardt Lab in the College of Agricultural Science at The Pennsylvania State University is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to work on the evolutionary ecology of plant-microbe interactions in agroecosystems (lianaburghardtlab.com). The postdoc will contribute to analyzing and writing up results from grants focused on the selection of rhizobial bacteria in agricultural systems and the genetic rewiring of rhizobia legume interactions for optimal nitrogen fixation. In addition, the postdoc will be encouraged to develop and pursue novel research interests and directions consistent with the lab theme of understanding plant-microbe-climate interactions in natural and managed landscapes-including expanding the lab's capacity to study associative nitrogen fixation. The postdoc will be provided mentorship and professional development opportunities tailored to their career goals and supported in developing independent research directions.

Education and Experience:

Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate in Plant Science, Microbiology, Ecology and Evolution, or related field(s). This position requires excellent communication skills and experience implementing bioinformatic pipelines and performing statistical analysis. Preferred candidates will also have some of these strengths:

• ability to conduct lab or field experiments with plants or microbes;

• experience using bioinformatic pipelines to analyze sequence data;

• perform statistical analysis, including generalized linear models & multivariate statistics;

• experience with experimental evolution and building synthetic microbial communities;

• evidence of prior success in working in diverse teams and independently;

• a demonstrated interest in mentoring students and outreach;

• and a track record of peer-reviewed publication.

Initially, this term appointment is funded for one year from the date of hire with the option of reappointment for additional years, conditional on satisfactory performance and the availability of funds. Before the effective date of hire, applicants must be able to provide evidence that all requirements have been met for completion of the Ph.D. and pass standard background checks. This position includes a competitive salary based on the NIH postdoc scale and generous benefits.

This position requires that you operate a motor vehicle as a part of your job duties. A valid driver's license and successful completion of a motor vehicle records check will be required in addition to standard background checks.

Application review will begin immediately, and the position will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified. Interested applicants should apply through the official Workday System. When prompted for a CV, please upload a single pdf titled: "lastname_Postdoc_BurghardtLab.pdf" that includes (i) a cover letter detailing scientific interests, qualifications, future goals, and preferred start date, (ii) a CV that includes contact information for three references. Reach out to Liana with additional questions (liana.burghardt@psu.edu).

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, foster a culture of inclusive excellence that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, leverage the educational and institutional benefits of diversity, and engage all individuals to help them thrive. We value inclusive excellence as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS: