Postdoc in computational evolutionary genetics (Lousiana, USA)

A postdoctoral researcher position is available in the computational evolutionary biology lab of Jeremy M. Brown at LSU. Research in the Brown lab is broadly centered on the use of phylogenetic approaches to understand organismal history and molecular evolution. This position is part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation to develop and apply a suite of related statistical approaches for assessing the fit of stochastic models to sequence and trait data. The goal of this work is to identify when phylogenetic and comparative inferences might be compromised by poor model fit.

The Brown lab will be collaborating extensively on this project with the lab of Bob Thomson at the University of Hawaii - Manoa, as well as the developers of RevBayes and the authors of various R comparative methods packages. Informal inquiries are strongly encouraged and can be directed to jembrown@lsu.edu. Start date is flexible. More information on the Brown lab is available at http://www.phyleauxgenetics.org/.

LSU's Dept. of Biological Sciences has a particular strength in computational evolutionary genetics. LSU continues to invest heavily in the computational sciences, with a recent focus on computational biology. Outstanding resources are available through the Center for Computation and Technology (http://www.cct.lsu.edu/home) and the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative (http://www.loni.org/).

Baton Rouge is located in South Louisiana, one of the most culturally unique locations in the United States (http://louisianatravel.com/). The surrounding area has excellent food, music, festivals, and outdoor recreation. LSU's campus is just over an hour's drive from New Orleans and allows easy access to much of the Gulf Coast.

Responsibilities: Work with computational biologists to write software, in collaboration with developers of RevBayes and various R comparative methods packages. Also responsible for testing new methods by analyzing simulated and biological exemplar data sets. Required Qualifications: Ph.D. or equivalent degree in Evolutionary Biology, Computer Science, Statistics or a related discipline; previous experience with programming and phylogenetic analyses. Additional Qualifications Desired: Previous software development experience as part of a team; programming experience using C++ and R; previous experience writing and publishing scientific manuscripts in peer reviewed journals. An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check. Application deadline is May 23, 2014 or until a candidate is selected. Apply online and view a more detailed ad at: www.lsusystemcareers.lsu.edu. Position #022018

LSU IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/EQUAL ACCESS EMPLOYER

Quick link at ad URL: https://lsusystemcareers.lsu.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=57641

Jeremy M. Brown
Assistant Professor
Louisiana State University
Dept. of Biological Sciences
202 Life Sciences Building
Baton Rouge, LA  70803

(225) 578-1745

http://www.phyleauxgenetics.org/