[Coral-List] Research Tech Position for Instrument Development

Kenneth Hoadley khoadley85 at gmail.com
Fri Jan 15 21:26:40 UTC 2021


Dear Coral-List,



The Hoadley Lab at the University of Alabama is excited to advertise a
research technician position to help develop and test new instrumentation
for assessing the photobiology of *Symbiodiniaceae* algae within
Scleractinian reef corals.



Project Description: Our aim is to significantly improve our ability to
rapidly assess functional differences in photo-physiology across
Symbiodiniaceae species and identify key traits associated with thermal
tolerance. The Symbiodiniaceae family are important primary producers
within the marine environment and are often found in symbioses with
reef-building corals. Tolerance to environmental perturbations such as high
temperature events differ across Symbiodiniaceae species, significantly
impacting a coral’s overall susceptibility to thermal bleaching events.
Despite our understanding of Symbiodiniaceae genetic diversity and its
importance to coral reef health, there is a significant gap in knowledge
regarding the functional and physiological variability that exists across
species. Using open-source hardware platforms the Hoadley lab is developing
a low-cost chlorophyll fluorescence instrument which incorporates both
multispectral excitation methodologies and dynamic light protocols for the
physiological assessment of Symbiodiniaceae living within reef corals or
grown in culture. The overall goal is to provide a low-cost,
non-destructive technique that generates a rich dataset which can be used
for comparing trait-based differences across Symbiodiniaceae species within
reef corals.



Eligibility: The ideal candidate will have a background in one or more
coding languages (C++/Arduino IDE, Python, R, html) and familiarity with
electronics and open-source hardware platforms (Arduino, Raspberry Pi,
Teensy, etc.,). An interest or background in molecular techniques (PCR,
qPCR) would also be valuable. A MS degree is preferred but motivated
individuals with only a undergraduate degree and relevant background
experience are highly encouraged to apply. Experience in coral reef
research is beneficial but not required.



Duration: This position is funded for 2-years.



The position will be housed at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab on the Gulf Coast
of Alabama. Research will be conducted on site, as well as at various coral
nurseries, with potential field trips to Caribbean or Pacific Coral Reefs
as well.



For more information, please visit: (https://www.disl.edu,
https://bsc.ua.edu, www.hoadleylab.com). If you are interested, please send
me an email (kdhoadley at ua.edu) with cover letter, CV, and list of three
references. I am looking for someone who would ideally start in the summer
of 2021.



Kind Regards,



            Kenneth D. Hoadley

            Assistant Professor

            Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama

            205 W, Dauphin Island Sea Lab

            Email: kdhoadley at ua.edu; Ph: (251) 861-2141 ext 7574


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