Current status:

We have funding available and are searching for a postdoc. This postdoc will help lead a collaborative project investigating the roles of historical contingency, species interactions, and climate variation in seasonal epidemics. The project seeks to advance a mechanistic understanding by leveraging an experimentally tractable field system: fungal diseases infecting leaves of the grass species tall fescue. Experience with plants, fungi or disease is not required; training with the organisms will be provided and past postdocs have come from a variety of backgrounds. The postdoc will join a multi-institutional, multidisciplinary team funded by the US National Science Foundation via the NSF-USDA-NIH joint program in the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases. Start date is flexible. This is a 12-month position that may be renewed for up to four years.

Working in collaboration with a dynamic and diverse group of researchers, the postdoc’s chief responsibility will be to analyze data and publish papers on disease epidemics from field experiments. The field experiments will manipulate the history of infections by multiple pathogen species, both within host individuals and across host populations, then track disease transmission and microbial community assembly. Additionally, depending on the interests of the postdoc, they may further collaborate with other team members to (A) use experimentally parameterized dynamical models to analyze and simulate epidemics, (B) use pathogen population genetics to explore potential eco-evolutionary feedbacks, (C) use high-throughput sequencing to explore potential feedbacks between epidemics and the host microbiome, or (D) design and conduct other research that supports project goals and the postdoc’s interests. The postdoc will also have the opportunity to receive training in scientific communication and to participate in outreach and education programs supporting the project’s broader impacts. The postdoc will receive mentoring and support to achieve their career goals, whatever those may be.

To begin the application process, email a cover letter describing your interest in the project, plus a CV, to Charles Mitchell: mitchell@bio.unc.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Questions and pre-application inquiries are welcome.

Recurring opportunities

If you wish to pursue your own independent funding, here are at least three possible opportunities. We always welcome inquiries from prospective postdocs.

First, NSF’s Directorate for Biological Sciences annually accepts applications for postdoctoral fellowships in three areas: (1) Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology, (2) Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes, and (3) Plant Genome Postdoctoral Research Fellowships. If you are interested, please read the full NSF announcement, then contact Charles.

Second, UNC annually accepts applications for SPIRE postdoctoral fellows. SPIRE fellows are funded to not only conduct research in a host lab on campus, but also to teach at partner institutions with a large population of underrepresented students. Prospective research advisors have no input into the selection process, so you do not have to notify Charles of your application, but he would be happy to discuss the possibilities. For application details, consult the SPIRE application webpage. ”

Third, it may be possible to write some other type of proposal together. If you have ideas about this, please email Charles.

Philosophy

Postdoctoral positions, to an even greater degree than graduate assistantships, are necessarily transition periods. Postdocs almost always start with residual work from the prior appointment, most commonly dissertation chapters that still need to be published. On the other hand, a wise postdoc always has one eye on the door, and applying for more permanent positions is also an unavoidable part of being a postdoc. As a result, I recognize that postdocs will need to spend some of their time in my group working on these other tasks.

On the other hand, doing a postdoc does have significant value beyond just serving as a transition, including broadening of knowledge, learning new skills, and working more independently. I believe it takes a minimum of two years to realize these benefits. I believe these benefits are quickly compounded with another year or two of time. Finally, I hope that this postdoctoral position initiates a longer-term collaboration that will continue after the postdoc moves on to take a permanent position.

How to apply:

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