Description
Post-Doctoral Scholar Position
Area: Metagenomics of Oil Field Samples
Duration: One-year position (subject to renewal)
Start date: as soon as the position is filled
Salary: $60,000-70,000 per year depending on experience (plus benefits)
The Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar in applying microbial metagenomics and molecular biology to oil field samples and enrichment cultures.
Job Description:
The postdoc will be part of an interdisciplinary research team that uses metagenomics and molecular biology to track and analyze environ mental and industrial samples. The postdoc will join a large and dynamic team that enjoys close collaboration with other researchers in environmental microbiology and public health microbiology, spanning different departments and faculties at the University of Calgary. This research culture includes collaboration with industry from large global corporations to local start-ups working on energy and environment related issues.
The successful applicant will join the Geomicrobiology Group led by Prof. Casey Hubert consisting of approximately 20 other researchers (staff, post docs, graduate students and undergraduate students). The post-doc will have opportunity to collaborate within this team, mentor students and interact with corporate industry seeking solutions and input on geomicrobiology challenges and opportunities. The Geomicrobiology Group has funding from Mitacs, NSERC, Genome Canada and other industry and government sources. The post-doc will have the chance to contribute to funding applications, as well as prepare manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals based on research findings.
The successful candidate will be based at the University of Calgary and their research will focus on archived samples from oil industry assets (e.g., pipelines, oil reservoirs, tanks, water samples) and performing DNA extraction, metagenomic sequencing, bioinformatic analysis, and digital PCR assay design and testing. Hydrogenase-containing bacteria and archaea as well as sulfate-reducing bacteria and archaea are high priorities for this project; these bacteria can cause corrosion in traditional oil field contexts as well as related to renewable energy applications involving underground H2 storage where additional risks include resource degradation via hydrogenotrophic metabolism.
The work will involve extensive metagenomic analysis using the latest in bioinformatics tools and software. This project will leverage existing research capacity in field sampling followed by molecular detection using nucleic acid sequencing (amplicon and/or shotgun) based approaches using in-house short and long read sequencing platforms. Applying or developing bioinformatics analysis pipelines will be an important part of this work.
This postdoc will play a key role in the Geomicrobiology Group¿s efforts to disseminate information. There will be opportunities to contribute to peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, including oil industry-targeted conferences with opportunities to pitch the benefits of geomicrobiology to non-microbiologists (including geologists, engineers and business development professionals).
Qualifications:
- PhD in metagenomics, bioinformatics, molecular biology, geomicrobiology, or a related field.
- Strong experience in (meta)genomics or bioinformatics, preferably related to analysis of complex environmental samples including low-biomass subsurface samples.
- Experience in scripting in Python and/or R, use of software for genomic or metagenomic analysis, and data visualization.
- Experience with biostatistical approaches is desirable.
- Understanding of analytical methods, particularly in molecular microbiology.
- Must be able to work in a team environment and interact with a diverse range of colleagues and collaborators.
- Strong communication skills as well as good organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work independently and resourcefully, while interacting effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
- Able to work within a collaborative setting with others to set clear priorities while managing multiple timelines and objectives.
- Evidence of good research productivity.
- Strong academic writing potential.
Application details:
Candidate applications should include the following:
- A brief cover letter outlining interest in this project, detailing qualifications and/or related experience as well as career goals.
- A detailed resumé.
- Name and contact information of three references.
- An example of your peer-reviewed publications.
The terms and conditions of employment are covered under the UCalgary and PDAC Collective Agreement. To find out more about postdoctoral scholar program at the University of Calgary visit our Postdocs website.
To learn more about postdoctoral scholar opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Postdoc Careers website.
About the University of Calgary
UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.
The University of Calgary is Canada¿s leading next-generation university ¿ a living, growing, and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation¿s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada¿s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity, and innovation across all disciplines.
About Calgary, Alberta
Calgary is one of the world's cleanest cities and has been named one of the world's most livable cities for years. Calgary is a city of leaders' in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians benefit from the strongest economy in the nation and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour's drive from the Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.
The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.
As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).
