Post-doctoral Fellow, School of Biological Sciences

Work type: Full-time
Department: School of Biological Sciences (26000)
Categories: Academic-related Staff

Applications are invited for appointment as Post-doctoral Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences (Ref.: 515072), to commence as soon as possible for two years, with the possibility of renewal subject to satisfactory performance.

The Integrative Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research group (iBEER Lab) at the University of Hong Kong is seeking applications for highly motivated postdoctoral fellows interested in studying ecological and evolutionary processes shaping physiological adaptations of tropical marine biodiversity.  The research will involve fieldwork in tropical and sub-tropical regions in Asia as well as manipulative laboratory experiments in Hong Kong.  The research projects aim to gain better understanding of phenotypic and molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution in extreme environments and along geographic/climatic clines.  Our research group follows the Krogh's Principle (i.e., for every biological problem, there is an organism ideally suited as an experimental model).  Based on this concept, we have worked in different ecological systems (e.g., Antarctic waters, tropical coasts, upwelling regions, deserts), using different organisms, from unicellular fungi and phytoplankton, to bigger eukaryotes such as molluscs, crustaceans, elasmobranchs, seaweeds amphibians and marsupials. In our work we address transversal questions in evolutionary biology using the interaction of different approaches from comparative physiology to quantitative genetics, genomics and transcriptomics.  More info: https://www.ibeerlab.com  or https://sites.google.com/site/jdgecv/ .

Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Biology or related fields.  Proficiency in English, strong and collaborative communication skills is a must.  They should have high motivation and strong interest for evolutionary biology; willingness to learn new skills and theoretical frameworks in evolutionary biology; background in eco-physiology, population genetics, functional genomics, quantitative genetics, molecular ecology, bioinformatics, evolutionary biology, or related disciplines is desirable.  Candidates with experience using molecular techniques including qPCR, RNAseq, Oxford Nanopore, and bioinformatic tools and pipelines for analyzing OMIC data, are highly encouraged to apply.

The appointee will address questions in evolutionary and ecological genomics regarding the genetic basis of phenotypic plasticity and physiological adaptations. Potential model systems are seagrasses or marine ectotherms.

A highly competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience will be offered, in addition to annual leave and medical benefits.

The University only accepts online application for the above posts.  Applicants should apply online and upload an up-to-date C.V., a motivation letter describing research interests, skills and career goals, and contact details for 2-3 references to Dr. Juan Diego Gaitan-Espitia at [email protected] .   Review of applications will start from June 01, 2022 and continue until December 31, 2022 , or until the post is filled, whichever is earlier.