Postdoctoral Research Associate

Texas A&M University System • Uvalde, TX

49d

About The Position

Postdoctoral Research Associate will perform independent and collaborative research to evaluate the mode-of-action of a chemical and identify targeted biological pathways from hypothesized mechanisms and evaluate potential risks. Research will be conducted in a team environment and will likely involve use of growth chambers, greenhouses, or open fields.

Requirements

• PhD degree in soil science, horticulture, agronomy, plant physiology, or closely related field
• Strong background and research experience in soil, plant physiological, or microbial analysis
• Ability to conduct independent research in controlled environment systems
• Strong ability to formulate hypothesis, design experiments, handling scientific data, perform statistical analysis, and writing scientific reports
• Evidence of publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Excellent English written and oral communication skills required to perform job duties effectively
• Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others
• Proven organizational skills
• Ability to effectively communicate with faculty, students, and staff
• Ability to drive and travel independently or in groups
• Ability to lift or move heavy loads up to 50 pounds

Nice To Haves

• Experience in the cultivation of plants (e.g., tomato, corn) in greenhouse (hydroponic, soil culture) and field conditions, or experience to conduct soil microbial research
• Experience in the measurement of nutrients, growth metrics, and plant physiology/morphology or microbial activity
• Experience in monitoring plant and microbes for stress, nutrition, health
• Ability to identify and control plant pests and diseases
• Experience conducting incubation and/or plant growth experiments and strong skills associated with experiment design, sample preparation/analysis, data analysis and manuscript preparation
• Experience with -omics technologies (e.g., transcriptomics)

Responsibilities

• Conduct research related to plant and/or microbial response to chemicals in greenhouse and field production systems
• Design and execute experiments, analyze data, and interpret results
• Publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals and present at professional meetings
• Participate in a collaborative team research project related to soil and plant response to agronomic chemicals to determine the mode-of-action
• Perform independent research with a focus on plant responses to chemical treatments in both greenhouse pots and open field production systems
• Prepare, collect and organize samples for growth, food/feed quality, mineral or biochemical analysis
• Use analytical equipment (soil/root/plant sensors, chlorophyll fluorescence, etc.) and process samples using standard laboratory analytical techniques (e.g., nutrient extraction, pH, EC), experience with DNA extraction and transcriptomics beneficial
• Evaluate data and summarize results for preparation in peer reviewed publications including use of simple to complex statistical analysis.
• Compose and write scientific publications, progress and annual/final reports for grants
• Supervise undergraduate and/or graduate students and other lab personnel in research
• Travel between Uvalde and College Station to interact with PI's based in the Soil and Plant Sciences Department which requires a valid driver's license
• Performs other duties as assigned

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M AgriLife contributing to employee health and basic life premiums
• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays
• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas
• Employee Wellness Initiative for Texas A&M AgriLife

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree