Postdoctoral Research Associate

Texas A&M University System • College Station, TX

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Postdoctoral Research Associate is responsible for conducting collections-based research focused on Poaceae diversification and ecology. Texas A&M AgriLife is comprised of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Forest Service, and Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. As the nation’s largest most comprehensive agriculture program, Texas A&M AgriLife brings together a college and four state agencies focused on agriculture and life sciences within The Texas A&M University System. With over 5,000 employees and a presence in every county across the state, Texas A&M AgriLife is uniquely positioned to improve lives, environments and the Texas economy through education, research, extension and service.

Requirements

• PhD in botany, biology, ecology and evolutionary biology, plant systematics, plant biology, biodiversity science, or a related field by the start date.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Analytical skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to organize specimens, data, analyses, and manuscripts.
• Ability to prepare research papers, reports, grant materials, and presentations.

Nice To Haves

• PhD with emphasis in plant systematics, evolutionary biology, phylogeography, population genomics, ecology, Poaceae, herbarium science, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, analyze data, write scientifically, and work collaboratively.
• Experience with phylogenetics, morphometrics, comparative methods, herbarium collections, plant taxonomy, grasses/Poaceae, trait datasets, biodiversity informatics, R, Python, GitHub, fieldwork, laboratory workflows, or grant/manuscript development.
• Experience with R, Git/GitHub, phylogenomic or population genomic workflows, GIS/spatial analysis, herbarium curation, voucher collection, plant identification, spectral reflectance, trait modeling, biodiversity informatics, and/or grant writing.
• Ability to obtain a valid driver license preferred if fieldwork travel is required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct collections-based research focused on Poaceae diversification and ecology.
• Develop research questions and sampling designs using S.M. Tracy Herbarium collections and targeted field collections.
• Generate, manage, analyze, and synthesize genomic, phenomic/spectral, trait, spatial, environmental, and taxonomic data.
• Conduct phylogeographic, species delimitation, and evolutionary analyses.
• Prepare manuscripts, datasets, figures, reports, presentations, and grant materials.
• Maintain research records and reproducible workflows.
• Assist with preparation, organization, and cleaning of herbarium, laboratory, and field workspaces.
• May travel for fieldwork, herbarium visits, conferences, training, and collaborator meetings.
• May assist with workshops, outreach, technical reports, lab/herbarium coordination.
• Performs other related 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