Postdoctoral Position in 'Population Genetics and Evolutionary Biology'

We seek a highly motivated, enthusiastic, and computationally savvy postdoctoral fellow to join the Wing Lab at the Center for Desert Agriculture (CDA) at KAUST. The mission of CDA is to use cutting-edge technology to develop novel types of agro-ecosystems that can produce high-yielding crops with less water, fertilizers, and pesticides, and that can make use of marginal soils and saline water. An important component of the Center’s activities is the use of agri-genomics to study wild and semi-domesticated plant species with a high degree of adaptation to a hot, arid and saline environment and to repeat the process of domestication (i.e. neo-domestication).

Task
The postdoctoral fellow will work on a three-year project aimed at the investigation and utilization of natural variation occurring in wild relatives of rice endemic to the Americas. The main goals of the project are the assessment of biodiversity for conservation purposes, and the identification of suitable targets for neo-domestication.

Offer
We offer a friendly, international, dynamic and team-oriented scientific environment at a young university. In particular, this position offers to work at the interface of population genetics, evolutionary biology, genomics, and conservation of plant genetic resources. We offer a highly competitive salary, free housing and subsidized medical insurance. KAUST supports the offer of ‘pilot’ flexible and/or remote working arrangements to employees whose job role and duties can be performed from another location and without operational impact. For more information about living and working at KAUST, please refer to the following websites:
https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/live
https://hr.kaust.edu.sa/flexible_and_remote_working/

Contact
For questions relating to the position, kindly contact Dr. Rod Wing (P.I. and Director of CDA, [email protected] ), Dr. Rafal Gutaker (Research Leader at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, [email protected] ), or Dr. Alice Fornasiero (post-doc in the Wing Lab, [email protected] ).

The position is available immediately.

About KAUST
KAUST is an international, graduate-level, merit-based research university dedicated to advancing scientific and technological education and research. Based near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, KAUST acts as a catalyst of innovation, economic development, and social prosperity in the region and the world through cutting-edge research on four areas of global significance – food, water, energy, and the environment. Through hiring principles based on diversity and inclusion of minority backgrounds, KAUST has attracted top-notch faculty, staff, and students from more than 80 nations all over the world. Expats are very well looked after, with packages including tax-free salary, relocation, accommodation and various additional incentives.