A postdoc position in Aquaculture Nutrition and Environmental Health

Postdoc Position in Aquaculture Nutrition

Brief introduction of SHOU

Shanghai Ocean University (SHOU) was founded in 1912, which is a multi-disciplinary applied research-based institution of higher education jointly established by Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, State Oceanic Administration, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural affair. In 2017, it was selected into the “Double First-Class Initiative” program for its First-Class Discipline of fisheries by Ministry of Education of China. At present, the university has two campuses: Huchenghuang Road campus and Jungong Road campus, and Lingang campus covering an area of about 110 ha with construction area of 630,000 square meters. The university has 14 faculties, 12,000 full-time undergraduates and over 4,000 full-time graduate students, as well as more than 1, 300 faculty members and staff, which also has three post-doctoral research stations, four doctoral degree programs of Level Ⅰ academic disciplines, ten master’s degree programs of Level I academic disciplines, four professional master’s degree programs and 47 undergraduate programs. The strongest disciplines of the university are Fisheries, Marine science, Hydrobiology and Food science and technology, with balanced development of the other disciplines, and education target is the cultivation of innovative and inter-disciplinary talents with global vision.

The university is well equipped with teaching and professional laboratories, including National Research Center for Pelagic Fisheries Engineering Technology, International Joint Research Center for National Marine Bioscience, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Teaching of Aquatic Science, Key Laboratories of Exploitation and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, and Sustainable Development of Oceanic Fishery Resources of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratories of Freshwater Fishery Genetic Resources and Utilization, Risk Assessment of Quality and safety, Ministry of Agriculture, as well as Research Center for Fish Nutrition and Ecological Environment, Research Center for Development Strategy of Chinese Fisheries, Experimental Observation Station of Resources and Environment of Oceanic Fisheries. The university has two field station for scientific research and teaching, and around 100 teaching and practice bases across the whole China. 

Introduction of Professor Wu’s research team

Laboratory of Crustacean Nutrition and Genetic Breeding belongs to the Research Center for Aquaculture Nutrition and Ecological Environment at Shanghai Ocean University (SHOU) which is led by Professor Xugan Wu. The focus of team is on nutritional physiology, functional feeds, genetic breeding, and culture technology of Crustaceans, particularly Chinese mitten crab. Currently, the team has three faculty members, two post-docs, and 22 postgraduates. We have around 200 square meters lab space in Lingang campus, including biochemical analysis room, nutritional physiology room, molecular nutrition room, cell culture room, large instrument room (HPLC, GC-MS), and refrigerator room, as well as three research stations in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces, respectively. Our major research achievements during the last 15 years include the pioneering of mitten crab broodstock nutrition, hatchery techniques and reproductive performance, interactions between lipid nutrition and hormonal secretion of crustaceans, crab feeds and quality improvement, reproductive physiology and endocrinology, genetic resource, and breeding of mitten crab. The outcome of the team’s research has been publication of more than 150 articles and 10 authorized patents, which have earned us good reputation in aquaculture nutrition and crustaceans’ biology. This reputation is reflected in several awards and grants, including two “The first-class prize of scientific and technological progress in Shanghai” (2009 and 2016), the prestigious “Shuguang Scholar” (2017) from Shanghai Educational Development Foundation project and “Shanghai talents development fund for young talents” from Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, and five consecutive projects from National Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Our team has close international collaborations with several international partners including Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Deakin University, and University of Melbourne in Australia, Negev Ben Gurion University in Israel, University Sains Malaysia (USM), Norwegian University of science and technology. We have regular visits, student exchanges, guest researchers, and other exchanges with these partners.

Position Description

The primary working locations will be Lingang campus of SHOU and research stations, and travels will be required to some extent. This postdoc position has a broad potential scope of work involving the followings, but not limited to: 

Testing the efficiency and safety of ferrihydrite based novel materials on control of phosphorus release and harmful algal blooms (HABs) in crab culture in earth ponds, in collaboration with Prof. Jianwei Lin from Shanghai Ocean University (https://sthj.shou.edu.cn/2017/0506/c18121a326157/page.htm).

Investigating the impacts of stocking density, dietary nutrients content, and feeding strategy on farming performance, environmental health and nitrogen/phosphorus recycling in earth ponds and rice-crab/crayfish co-culture system. 

Tasks and Responsibilities

Execution of ongoing projects, including experimental design, data collection, manuscript preparation and writing project report, etc.  

Supervising or co-supervising postgraduates.

Contributing to successful development of research programs, funding application, research proposal and experimental protocols.

Contributing to the successful application of knowledge and research expertise to innovation and invention, with appropriate involvement in the commercialization of outcomes.

Desired characteristics

Self-driven, flexible and highly organized when it comes to prioritizing tasks.

Able to adapt the changes in the working environment and can-do attitude when facing challenges and uncertainties.

Team-player, with the ability to share ideas in an effective way with both internal and external stakeholders.

Good communication skills, including the ability to interact well with research and technical staff and students as well as excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills.

Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.

Willing to work flexible hours and to take on extra duties as required. 

Qualifications

PhD or equivalent in aquaculture, animal nutrition, ecology, Agricultural science, or related areas.

Proficiency in English writing, reading, speaking, and listening.

3-5 years of research/working experience in field work for aquaculture, crop cultivation or ecology.  

Outstanding and demonstrated scientific writing skills, and an excellent track record of peer reviewed publications in international journals in the areas of aquaculture, ecology, and crop science.

Demonstrated ability to plan, initiate and conduct high quality research, which has resulted in publications, project reports, or professional or technical contributions, which give evidence of research ability.

Term of appointment

Appointment is a flexible term of at least two years, which is subject to an initial 6-12 month probationary period. 

Remuneration and benefits

An attractive remuneration package is offered. The fixed annual salary is 200,000 RMB (around 30,000 U$) before tax, and the additional subsidies of 10,000 to 30,000 RMB will be paid based on working performance, qualification, and research record. Moreover, the candidate will receive four weeks of paid vacation annually.

Application and contacts

Interested individuals should send a letter of interest, CV and contact information of three referees (including e-mail addresses and telephone numbers) to Prof. Xugan Wu ([email protected]).

An initial screening of prospective candidates will take place, and short-listed candidates will be interviewed by a panel of esteemed colleagues.

Application deadline: May 25, 2024

For more information, please contact:

Xugan Wu, PhD 

Director, Research Center on Aquaculture Nutrition and Environmental Ecology,

Shanghai Ocean University, 999# Huchenghuan Road, Pudong district, Shanghai, 201306, China.

Mobile: 0086-15692165021

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

https://smxy.shou.edu.cn/2014/0701/c2054a219582/page.htm

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Xugan-Wu

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2968-8649