Postdoc: University of Sheffield, UK

A postdoctoral position, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), is

available in Dr Jon Slate's research group

(http://www.jon-slate.staff.shef.ac.uk/) at the University of Sheffield.

This is an outstanding opportunity to apply cutting edge genomics

technologies (ultra-high throughput sequencing and SNP genotyping) to study

microevolution in a classic long-term, individual-based study system - the

great tit population at Wytham Woods Oxford

(http://www.zoo.ox.ac.uk/egi/research/studysites.htm).

I am looking for somebody with a track record of publishing in leading

journals and skills in one or more of the following areas: evolutionary

quantitative genetics, QTL mapping, genomewide association studies,

molecular evolution or statistical genetics. The postdoc will work as part

of a team of three (with the PI and one other postdoc) investigating the

genetic basis of adaptive variation in a system which has been the focus of

intensive evolutionary ecology and quantitative genetics studies (e.g.

Garant et al. 2005 Nature 433: 60-65; Charmantier et al 2008 Science 320:

800-803) but where genomics resources were, until recently, lacking. In

this project we have used high-throughput sequencing (Roche 454) to sequence

the great tit transcriptome and mine many thousands of SNPs. We will shortly

be typing 10,000 SNPs in several thousand birds to build a linkage map and

then perform quantitative trait /genome wide association mapping. Genotyping

will be outsourced. We will then use QTL mapping approaches to address

questions relevant to microevolution. For example publications from our

laboratory see http://www.jon-slate.staff.shef.ac.uk/html/publications.html.

The project involves close collaboration with Professor Ben Sheldon (Oxford

University) and his research group (http://www.zoo.ox.ac.uk/egi/index.htm)

as well as a group in the Netherlands working on a similar project.

Dr Slate's group is based within the vibrant Department of Animal & Plant

Sciences at the University of Sheffield. In the latest Research Assessment

Exercise (RAE 2008), Biological Sciences at Sheffield was ranked joint 3rd

in the UK based on average quality score and 3rd in the UK based on the

proportion of 'world-leading' (4*) and 'internationally excellent' (3*)

research activity (Source: Times Higher Education) It was recently ranked

7th best Environment/Ecology research institution in the world by Thomson

Scientific. Sheffield is a fantastic place to live, situated on the edge of

the Peak District National Park (http://www.visitpeakdistrict.com/). It is

also one of the most affordable cities in the UK and has a good music, arts

and culture scene.

The position is available as soon as possible and is funded for a further 3

years. The closing date is 17h May 2010. For further details and online

applications see http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/index.html, quoting job

reference number UOS001076. The salary is in the range ?28,139 per annum. I

welcome informal enquiries (j.slate@sheffield.ac.uk)