POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology
University of Johannesburg
Agricultural Research Council – Plant Health and Protection
The Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology (University of Johannesburg, (UJ) and the National Collection of Fungi (Agricultural Research Council – Plant Health and Protection, ARC-PHP), have a postdoctoral fellowship available in fungal diversity. The successful candidate will be appointed for three years based on annual progress/performance. The annual salary is R350 000 (tax exempt).
Project description
The successful candidate will work on one of several ongoing projects related to fungal evolutionary genetics with the specific scientific focus taking the applicant’s skill set and developmental goals into consideration. Our programme pursues fungal biodiversity discovery using high throughput sequencing, with completed datasets from the South African grassland biome, developing datasets from arid regions within South Africa, with complementing whole fungal genome phylogeny. The ideal candidate will have skills in one or more of the following areas: analysis of high throughput sequencing data, comparative genomics, and environmental modelling. Opportunities for mentoring post-graduate students and research assistants will be provided.
Key performance areas:
Conduct research into fungal ecology, biodiversity and modelling.
Liase and coordinate research between different collaborating groups.
Supervise students.
Minimum requirements:
• A relevant PhD (Bioinformatics, computational biology, microbiology, biodiversity), obtained in the last five years.
• Expertise in sequence-based community ecology and biodiversity, or
• Expertise in modelling of ecological and environmental data.
• Publication track record within field or related fields.
• Excellent teamwork skills.
• Excellent communication skills with English language proficiency and writing skills demonstrated through peer-review publications in reputable ISI/Scopus ranked journals.
• Valid driver’s licence (preferred).
Application closes: 6 September 2024
Commence: October 2024
Contact:
Interested parties should contact Prof Eduard Venter (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Dr Adriaana Jacobs (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
The application should include a cover letter indicating your interest in the PDRF and highlighting some of your research experience relevant to the position, a detailed CV, certified copies of PhD degree and driver’s licence, and the contact details of three references. The applicant should be available for a Teams/Zoom meeting the week of the 9th September.
Please note that only successful candidates will be contacted for interviews. This position is a postdoctoral fellowship (PDRF) and does not guarantee a permanent appointment. The PDRF will be renewed in 2025 based on progress/performance. The UJ and ARC support equal opportunities.
