Postdoctoral Scholar

The Pennsylvania State University • University Park, FL

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Acevedo and Hermann labs are looking for a motivated person to fill a Postdoctoral Scholar position in the Department of Entomology at The Pennsylvania State University. The successful candidate will provide support to research on Spotted Lanternfly in grape. Research will be conducted in field, greenhouse, and laboratory conditions, and commitment to work in these environments and frequent travel within the state are expected. This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate in Entomology or a closely related field.
• Ability to provide evidence that all requirements have been met for completion of the Ph.D. prior to the effective date of hire.
• Demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publications.
• Experience conducting field research, insect rearing, and plant cultivation.
• Ability to design experiments, collect and analyze data, and publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals with minimal supervision.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Strong ability to work collaboratively within a research team that includes graduate and undergraduate students.
• Willingness to work in laboratory, greenhouse, and field environments.
• Valid driver’s license and successful completion of a motor vehicle records check.

Responsibilities

• Growing and maintaining milkweed, grapevines, and tree of heaven plants for research experiments.
• Transplanting and caring for milkweed plants in the field.
• Setting up research experiments and accurately collecting data from field and laboratory conditions.
• Driving frequently to the research sites to collect data on spotted lanternfly infestations in the field.
• Interacting with faculty, staff, graduate students, and farmers.
• Collecting plant and insect samples for laboratory analyses and helping perform analyses to assess the effect of milkweed on lanternflies.
• Digitalizing data from experiments and helping prepare written reports.
• Assisting with the purchase of materials required for experiments and the submission of expense reports.
• Outreach activities will include contributing to original content to engage audiences through electronic extension publications in addition to traditional publications and in-person presentations.

Benefits

• Competitive stipends
• Attractive benefits packages

What This Job Offers

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