Postdoctoral Research Associate

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JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The Hockett lab in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology at The Pennsylvania State University is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to lead experiments aimed at developing and characterizing microbial communities suppressive toward plant foliar diseases. This position is part of a multi-year USDA NIFA-funded project involving the laboratory of Dr. Terrence Bell at the University of Toronto. This work builds on our recently published research, showing that serial passaging phyllosphere microbial communities can result in development of disease suppression. Specific goals of this research include a) assessing how microbial composition influences the development and activity of disease suppressive communities, b) determining how suppressive communities interact with common agricultural practices (e.g. pesticides), and c) identifying, isolating, and characterizing key members of the suppressive community. The applicant will be encouraged to develop additional projects in collaboration with the Principle Investigator (PI). The incumbent will also have roles in collaborating with other project members, synthesizing data, preparing scientific manuscripts, and presenting research results at local, national, and international scientific conferences.

The is a term position for one year with additional years of funding available.

Minimum qualifications:

• PhD in Microbiology, Plant Pathology, Molecular Biology, or related discipline

• Strong background in microbial community analysis

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with plant-associated bacteria and/or plant diseases

• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication (both oral and written) skills

• Demonstrated ability to complete research projects and write peer-reviewed manuscripts

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and as a member of a larger research team

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