Reference: FS0065
Campus: Hull
Department: School of Biological, Biomedical and Environmental Sciences
Salary: £31,331 to £36,298 per annum
Post Type: Full Time
Closing Date: Friday 20 December 2013

We wish to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced Postdoctoral Research Assistant to develop molecular approaches for understanding forest insect community dynamics and species interactions.

The PDRA will work jointly with the Biological Conservation (Dr. Darren Evans: tinyurl.com/oxjfuhf) and Evolutionary Biology (Dr. Dave Lunt: davelunt.net) Groups within the School of Biological, Biomedical and Environmental Sciences and with Forest Research, the Research Agency of the Forestry Commission (Dr. Nigel Straw). The post is funded by Forestry Commission England and the successful candidate will develop molecular approaches to determine forest insect host-parasitoid interactions with a particular focus on oak processionary moth (OPM; Thaumetopoea processionea), an invasive species that is highly damaging to oak trees and which poses health risks to humans. The PDRA will join a successful team using sensitive molecular tools to construct and analyse highly resolved species interaction networks. The successful candidate will benefit from excellent research facilities and a dynamic research environment within the two closely interacting groups.

A primary goal of the project is to employ DNA barcoding to identify the hymenopteran parasitoids of OPM and shared hosts. Potentially these could be harnessed as a natural form of pest control. The structure of these food-webs will be analysed using ecological network analysis. The application of evolutionary and environmental genomics is a research strength of the groups and there is considerable scope for the PDRA to develop next generation sequence (NGS) meta-barcoding approaches to characterise forest community composition more broadly.

The successful applicant will collaborate closely with Forest Research and other partner organisations and will be supported in developing independent fellowship proposals. He/She will have a PhD in an appropriate biological discipline, substantial experience in molecular ecology, strong quantitative skills, evidence of work of publishable quality, excellent oral and written communication skills, demonstrable ability to work as an effective team member and be reliable, self-motivated and well organized. Experience of NGS analysis and ecological network analysis using R is desirable, but not essential.

Interviews are anticipated to be held in mid January.

The position is fixed term for 2 years.