Postdoctoral Research Associate (tamus)
Job posting number: #163598 (Ref:R-079750)
Job Description
Job Title
Postdoctoral Research AssociateAgency
Texas A&M Agrilife ResearchDepartment
Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture-Project ManagementProposed Minimum Salary
CommensurateJob Location
College Station, TexasJob Type
StaffJob Description
About the Initiative
Texas A&M AgriLife Research is hiring several Postdoctoral Research Fellows through a cluster-hire to work on various research projects with a focus on advancing health through agriculture. The postdoctoral fellows will be advised by top scientists at Texas A&M University/AgriLife and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
Overview:
We are seeking highly motivated postdoctoral fellows to join our dynamic team with broad focus areas in prevention of diet-related chronic diseases, plant genetics & biofortification and mechanistic studies in nutrition-health associations. Several positions are available at the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture (IHA) based on the Texas A&M University campus. The candidates will work with USDA-ARS scientists at the Responsive Agricultural Food Systems Research Unit (RAFSRU) co-housed at the IHA. Our research environment is guided by collaboration, mentorship, and a supportive culture that encourages personal and professional growth.
Who we are:
The research focus of the RAFSRU is conducted under the USDA ARS Human Nutrition National Program (NP107). The mission of the RAFSRU is to prevent and mitigate nutrition-associated chronic disease via innovations in the food-nutrition environment. The unit conducts focused research on human health and nutrition across all life stages generating fundamental knowledge on the interplay between agriculture, food systems, the environment and human health. The IHA aims to improve human health by leading science-driven solutions in agriculture, nutrition and food systems in a way that supports economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and community well-being.
What we offer:
These positions offer a unique environment to accomplish innovative research while developing both scientific and professional skills. You will conceptualize and lead basic / translational research projects related to plant genetics, nutritional biofortification and functional enrichment, human nutrition, obesity or maternal-child health. Ongoing projects in plant biology include: micronutrient uptake and assimilation, secondary metabolite accumulation in grains and vegetables, genotype by environment interactions using molecular biology, quantitative genetics, and bioinformatics methods. Nutrition-centered preclinical and human studies are focused on understanding effects of maternal obesity & other forms of malnutrition, effect of novel foods on health outcomes, and employing multiomic approaches for precision nutrition. Training in a wide range of interdisciplinary tools such as molecular nutrition, genome wide association studies (GWAS), QTL mapping, RNA-seq, computational genomics, complementation, ionomics, and metabolite analysis will be available.
Position Description
A PhD degree in one the fields: plant biology/ genetics, human nutrition, physiology, nutritional epidemiology, biotechnology, genetics, or food systems, or other closely related fields within 5 years of obtaining.
Responsibilities:
For Plant Geneticist/Plant Physiologist Positions
Design and execute experiments to measure plant nutrient accumulation. Identify molecular compounds that comprise phytonutrients using metabolomics, ionomics, genomics, and molecular biology.
Conduct studies of plant growth in greenhouse and field conditions.
Conduct wet-lab methods for metabolomic/ ionomics, transcriptomics, qPCR, and bioinformatics.
For Nutrition-Related Positions
Develop hypotheses-driven studies to examine the effects of specific diet and diet components on health outcomes using preclinical or clinical approaches.
Conduct mechanistic studies on how specific food components impact health outcomes.
Develop methods to link food nutrition environment with health outcomes.
Develop approaches for better food intake biomarkers.
Qualifications:
Preferred Education and Experience
For Plant Geneticist/Plant Physiologist Positions:
Experience growing any of the following crop plants such as maize, sorghum, rice, wheat, or tomatoes conducting experiments in greenhouses and growth chambers
Ability to prepare samples for Sanger sequencing, qPCR, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) including extracting and purifying RNA, DNA, and possible rRNA cleanup
Bioinformatics using command line tools (eg. BWA, STAR) for mapping DNA or RNA Illumina reads to a reference genome and conduct SNP analysis or differential expression analysis
For Nutrition-Related Positions:
Experience with animal models of diet-induced obesity, metabolic syndrome, or cardiovascular disease and nutritional interventions.
Expertise in human nutrition studies in any one of the areas (cohort-based analyses, conducting feeding trials, assessments of diet intake, food systems analysis).
Precision nutrition studies (-omic analysis of biomarkers, etc.)
Applicant Information
The position is limited for 3 years contingent on annual performance evaluations.
Instructions:
Please send a copy of your CV, coverletter describing your interest in this position, and names of three professional references. Eligible candidates must be within 5 years of obtaining their PhD degree.
All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer.