[Coral-List] Predoctoral Research Associate position in genomics of species identification in sponges (Phylum Porifera) available at LMU Munich

[Gert Woerheide]

Dear colleagues,

we have an exciting opportunity for a predoctoral research associate
position available in the lab and I would be grateful if you could
distribute the position description below to potentially interested
students.

best wishes - stay safe an healthy

Gert

*******
Predoctoral Research Associate position in genomics of species
identification in sponges (Phylum Porifera).

We invite applications for a 36-month (predoctoral) Research Associate
position in the project "SpongeTaxonOMICs v2" funded by the German
Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) within the
framework of the Priority Program SPP 1991 Taxon-OMICS
(www.taxon-omics.com). The project is located at the Department of
Earth- and Environmental Sciences (Chair of Paleontology and Geobiology)
and the GeoBio-Center of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München.

Sponges (Porifera) are difficult to identify and DNA barcoding does not
reliably work for all its lineages. In this project, we aim at further
developing novel species identification procedures based on target
enrichment and NGS technologies. We will apply the methods developed to
a very diverse and taxonomically very difficult group of demosponges,
the Haplosclerida, aiming at providing reliable species distinction and
delimitation procedures in this group. For this, we will use fresh and
recently collected specimens from the Red Sea as well as material from
museum collections, including (holo)types ("museomics"). The project
will be conducted in close collaboration with Professor Grace McCormack
of the National University of Ireland Galway, an internationally leading
expert in haplosclerid sponges.

We are seeking a highly motivated applicant with excellent and
demonstrated bioinformatics expertise, sound background in evolutionary
biology, and willingness to tackle the challenging task of working with
the genomes of non-model invertebrates. Previous experience in sponge
biology or laboratory skills are not necessary, but beneficial.
The predoctoral research associate is afforded the opportunity to pursue
scientific qualification, i.e., preparation for a doctoral degree at LMU
MUnich, based on the project’s results.
Finally, we expect the successful candidate to contribute to the lab's
ongoing genome sequencing efforts, contribute to expanding the
bioinformatic tools available in the lab, and collaborate with other lab
members and projects.

The successful candidate will join an international and dynamic lab
focussing on the geobiology and evolution of marine animals.
High-performance computing infrastructure is available in the lab (LINUX
cluster, Galaxy Server) as well as through the Leibniz Rechenzentrum
(www.lrz.de). More information about the lab can be found at
www.geobiology.eu.


Requirements: M.Sc. in Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related field;
demonstrated expertise and understanding of molecular evolution
including phylogenetic methods, expertise in processing and analyzing
next-generation sequencing data; programming skills (e.g., in commonly
used bioinformatic languages such as Python and/or R, etc.) and
experience working with *NIX systems. Evidence of this expertise must be
provided. The working language of the group is English and therefore
candidates must have excellent English language skills.
German language skills are not required..
The position is available for 36 months and will be paid according to
the German public service salary scheme (TV-L E13 65%).

Application: The application must include a letter of motivation, CV,
PDFs of the most significant publications (or a pdf version of the
master thesis if publications are not available), and contact details of
2 referees in a *single PDF*.
Please send the application by email to <geobiologie at geo.lmu.de> using
*SpongeTaxonOMICs.v2.YOURLASTNAME* as subject.
Informal inquiries may be directed to Professor Gert Wörheide through
the same email address.
The application deadline is 31 October 2020.

The Department of Earth- and Environmental Sciences, Palaeontology &
Geobiology of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich offers an
excellent multidisciplinary research environment, one of its particular
strength being due to the close interaction between Geosciences and the
Faculty of Biology in the framework of the GeoBioCenterLMU
(http://www.geobio-center.uni-muenchen.de).

The LMU Munich is the leading research university in Germany, with a
more than 500-year-long tradition, and builds upon its success in the
Excellence Initiative, a Germany-wide competition promoting top-level
university research. Munich has been repeatedly voted Germany's most
livable city and is among the Top 5 most livable cities worldwide.
The LMU Munich is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and
has an affirmative action policy for the disabled.

***************************

Prof. Dr. Gert Wörheide MAE
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
Paleontology & Geobiology
& GeoBio-CenterLMU
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and
Director, Bavarian State Collections of Palaeontology and Geology
Richard-Wagner-Straße 10
80333 München
Germany

Phone: +49 (89) 2180-6718
Fax: +49 (89) 2180-6601
E-Mail: woerheide at lmu.de
www.palmuc.de | www.geobiology.eu
www.facebook.com/molpalaeo
twitter.com/gwoerhe

www.itn-ignite.eu

Publications:
http://bit.ly/2HEBv6Q
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6380-7421