Department: DPB – Plant Biology

Salary: $68,191

Location: Stanford, CA

Moi Exposito-Alonso Lab – www.moilab.science
Part of the NSF BII Water and Life Interface Institution (WALII.science)

Carnegie Institution for Science & Stanford University, 260 Panama st., California 94305, USA

Annual salary $68,191

1 year contract, with potential extensions up to 4-5 years

Publication date: Nov 2022

Starting date: as early as possible

Closing date: accepting applications until filled

Description:

 We aim to recruit a highly motivated and skillful researcher with training in molecular biology, plant genetics, or bioengineering. We seek to understand the impacts of climate change on plant species from a molecular evolution angle. The project will leverage ecological genomics modeling to identify genes involved in dehydration tolerance and water use efficiency in Arabidopsis, and use CRISPR-based genetic engineering, developmental genetics, and microscopy techniques to understand the molecular mechanism of such adaptive genes. 

Responsibilities:

• The position requires leading research independently, preparing publications, and presenting research in scientific meetings. 
• Willingness to work closely with collaborators and lab members. 
• Contributing to lab-wide chores towards a productive and positive lab. 

Required skills:

• Required qualifications for these positions are a BSc or a PhD in any of the following areas: molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, bioengineering.
• A track record of research productivity and independence.

 

About the Water and Life Interface Institution (WALII, pronounced “Wally”): 

WALII studies how life interacts with water, from the molecular to the organismal level, across plants, fungi, and animals. WALII is a virtual institute, with scientists located at nine research facilities across the United States. Working together, WALII team members aim to uncover the rules by which organisms interact with water, exploring four integrated themes: 1) the physical and molecular determinants that allow organisms to survive in the solid state; 2) rehydration responses in desiccation-tolerant and -sensitive systems; 3) the molecular grammar of desiccation tolerance conferred by intrinsically disordered proteins; and 4) the short- and long-term evolutionary history of desiccation tolerance. WALII team members have diverse expertise, ranging from biophysics to plant biology, and experience with several desiccation-tolerant and -sensitive systems.

The institute’s long-term goals are to understand how organisms can tolerate desiccation; invent technologies and concepts to study anhydrobiosis; engineer macromolecules, cells, and organisms that can survive desiccation; and produce the next generation of leaders in all sectors of our society. To achieve these aims, WALII provides mentoring, outreach opportunities, and professional development for all affiliated scientists. That includes funding support for travel to scientific conferences, and internal professional development/training programs. 

Equal opportunity employer:

Carnegie is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability or any other protected status in accordance with applicable laws. We aim to have a vibrantly diverse lab, which is essential to tackle scientific questions from different creative angles. The main requirement for these positions is that you are passionate about the topics above, so please apply! 

Additional information:

The Department of Plant Biology of the Carnegie Institution for Science (formerly known as the Carnegie Institution of Washington) is a private U.S.-based non-profit endowment, located on the campus of Stanford University since 1928. Andrew Carnegie founded the Carnegie Institution of Washington in 1902 as an organization for scientific discovery to serve as a home to exceptional individuals – men and women – with imagination and extraordinary dedication capable of working at the cutting edge of their fields. Today, Carnegie scientists work in six scientific departments on the west and east coasts and at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Carnegie investigators have made key discoveries in plant biology, including early experiments of local adaptation (Clausen, Keck, Hiesey), the discovery of transposable elements (McClintock), plant ecophysiology at global scales (Berry, Field), the discovery of key photosynthesis and phototropism genes (Grossman, Briggs), or The Arabidopsis Information Resource TAIR (Rhee, Somerville). The Department of Plant Biology (https://dpb.carnegiescience.edu) has state-of-the-art facilities for molecular genetic studies of plants, greenhouses and field sites, and computer resources. The lab is co-affiliated with the Carnegie Department of Global Ecology (https://dge.carnegiescience.edu), the Department of Biology at Stanford University (https://biology.stanford.edu) and with the center of Computational, Evolutionary and Human Genetics (http://cehg.stanford.edu). The ideal candidate would become an active member of this community and would strengthen collaborative connections with grad students, postdocs, and faculty members across campus.

Contact:

Informal inquiries about this position can be made by emailing Moises (Moi) Exposito-Alonso at admin@moilab.science. To be formally considered, please include: (1) a cover letter, (2) CV, and (3) three referees whom I can ask for letters of recommendation. Official application link is below at “Apply Now” and https://jobs.carnegiescience.edu/jobs/apply/74790/