Postdoctoral Research Associate

The Arizona Institute for Resilience invites applicants to apply to join our team as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. The successful candidate will work on a research project focused on Sansevieria, a plant genus for which phylogenetic and genomic resources are scarce. The candidate will analyze whole-genome shotgun data from approximately 100 samples, with the goal of characterizing features of the species, also in relation to the sister genus Dracaena. The project foresees to establish a reference genome assembly for one focal species, followed by using phylogenomics methods to establish relationships between taxa. Additional analyses may include introgression analyses, demography, and heterozygosity.

The successful candidate will be proficient in executing software and commands via the command line, will have worked with long- and short-read sequencing data, and must have a deep understanding of plant phylogenomics. Experience in developing and maintaining pipelines is a plus. The data analyst will work closely with personnel at the Arizona Genomics Institute (AGI), the Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill, and other entities. The position requires interacting with colleagues, collaborators, and customers of varied backgrounds. The supervisor will provide moderate guidance in project planning and execution. A high degree of initiative, resourcefulness, dynamism, and professionalism are necessary. Applicants with no experience in handling DNA sequencing data will not be considered.

This role is not eligible for flexible work arrangements.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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• Establish a Sansevieria phylogeny by means of genomic datasets. Will use whole-genome shotgun short-read datasets to identify orthologue loci, execute appropriate software (e.g. Captus, Hybpiper) to generate a phylogeny. Proficiency in performing additional analyses (e.g. time of speciation, mutation rates, ...) are welcome.
• Generate a genome assembly for a focal specimen. In collaboration with AGI, from long-read DNA sequencing data and Hi-C. Will also annotate the genome.
• Additional genomic analyses enabled by the dataset at hand and by accessing other public datasets (e.g. comparative genome evolution, detecting hybridization or introgression).
• Summarize work in reports, tables, and one scientific manuscript. Interact with colleagues and external partners to give and receive feedback. Attend meetings and take notes. Reporting, meetings, dissemination.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Extended knowledge of phylogenomic methods and handling of
  the data.
• High proficiency of Unix command line, executing software, developing and
  running workflows. Knowledge of R.
• Familiar with high-performance computing infrastructure.
• Experienced in
  Nextflow/Cromwell or other pipeline tools.
• Able to critically evaluate the quality of the results and to perform novel
  analyses as required.
• Excellent technical writing skills, maintaining and sharing documentation, note
  taking, and reporting at different audiences.
• Highly developed communication skills: verbal and digital.

• PhD in genomics, phylogenetics, (bio)informatics, or related discipline with at
  least one year of experience in phylogeny.

• The candidate should apply by submitting a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a cover letter. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide three letters of recommendation.
• Position to stay open until filled, job starting in early 2027.