Postdoctoral Research Associate

Texas A&M University System • College Station, TX

3d

About The Position

The Dass Microbial Ecology Laboratory studies how pathogens and antimicrobial resistance move across wildlife, livestock, food systems, and people. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will develop and apply molecular and genomic tools to identify ticks, mosquitoes, flies, and mites of veterinary and public health importance, detect the pathogens they carry, and monitor insecticide and acaricide resistance and other traits relevant to control. The work combines specimen collection and colony maintenance with qPCR-based detection, resistance marker screening, and transcriptomic and sequencing analysis, and supports the laboratory’s federally funded biosurveillance portfolio, including tick surveillance and transboundary livestock pests such as New World screwworm. Anticipated effort is 75% research, 15% writing and reporting, and 10% mentoring.

The position is grant- or contract-funded, and continued employment depends on ongoing funding and satisfactory job performance. Training on digital PCR and nanopore sequencing platforms will be provided as needed. The researcher will receive mentoring in grant writing and independent research and will work with federal, national laboratory, and university partners.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Entomology, Molecular Biology, Parasitology, Veterinary Science, Microbiology, or a closely related field, completed by the start date.
• Laboratory experience with nucleic acid extraction, PCR, and qPCR, including primer design and assay optimization.
• Experience handling, rearing, or identifying insects, ticks, or mites.
• Experience analyzing molecular or sequencing data in R or a comparable environment.
• At least one first-author, peer-reviewed publication.
• Clear scientific writing and the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Nice To Haves

• Research on insecticide or acaricide resistance, including detection of target-site mutations.
• Experience with RNA sequencing library preparation and transcriptome or virome analysis.
• Experience with ticks, mosquitoes, or flies of veterinary or public health importance.
• Experience with qPCR reference gene validation or other formal assay validation.
• Experience with digital PCR, multiplex assay design, or nanopore sequencing.
• Field collection or surveillance experience in livestock or wildlife settings.
• Teaching or mentoring experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, and validate qPCR and other nucleic acid-based assays for arthropod species identification, pathogen detection, and screening for resistance-associated mutations.
• Maintain arthropod colonies and process field-collected specimens, including sorting, preservation, and sample-tracking records.
• Characterize insecticide and acaricide susceptibility through bioassays and molecular analysis of resistance mechanisms, including target-site mutations and gene expression.
• Apply RNA sequencing, amplicon, and metagenomic approaches to characterize arthropod transcriptomes, microbiomes, and viromes.
• Integrate assays into the laboratory’s tiered detection workflow—qPCR screening, digital PCR confirmation, and nanopore sequencing—and validate them against field, environmental, and reference samples.
• Analyze data in R and command-line tools, and maintain reproducible scripts and records under the laboratory data management policy.
• Work with field, bioinformatics, and modeling collaborators to interpret results and provide decision support to surveillance partners.
• Lead first-author manuscripts and contribute to sponsor reports, conference presentations, and new proposals.
• Train graduate and undergraduate students in arthropod handling and molecular methods.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance, with AgriLife contributing to premiums.
• 12–15 annual paid holidays.
• Up to 8 hours per month of sick leave and at least 8 hours per month of vacation.
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
• Employee Wellness Initiative.
• Access to ongoing professional development and training through Aspire, LinkedIn Learning, and internally developed programs.

What This Job Offers

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