Postdoctoral Scientist, Breeding Insight

Postdoctoral Scientist

University Title: Postdoctoral Associate

Breeding Insight - https://breedinginsight.org/

Cornell Institute of Biotechnology

Research and Innovation

The Breeding Insight (BI) program at Cornell University has two (2) openings for a postdoctoral scientist working on the collaborative USAID-funded Feed the Future Climate Resilient Cereals Innovation Lab (CRCIL) consortium led by Kansas State University with partners including Clemson University, Cornell University, Delaware State University, Kansas State University, Louisiana State University, the University of Florida, and international collaborators. Current international partners include the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Bangladesh, the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research, Senegal, and the Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture Research, Ethiopia. CRCIL will work on four major grain crops (wheat, rice, millet, and sorghum) across multiple global regions including South Asia, Western Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Breeding Insight is composed of software developers and scientists with expertise in genomics, statistics, plant breeding, animal breeding, data management, phenomics, and bioinformatics. Breeding for climate resilience in major staple grain crops will be key for the world population living in food-scarce locations. These locations are among the most vulnerable to climate change including severe weather events, off-season flooding and drought, pest and disease migration, and soil erosion. One of Breeding Insight’s aims is to accelerate breeding efforts by integrating the use of phenomics (trait analysis) with genomics and natural variation to increase the rate of genetic gain to create healthy, nutritious, and sustainable cereal varieties. To accomplish these objectives, the Breeding Insight program integrates with selected national agricultural research institute (NARI)-based teams (based at research locations in key countries representing South Asia, Western Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean) and scientific and software development teams.

Aligning with these themes, the USAID funded CRCIL has the following Areas of Inquiry that illustrate USAID’s research interests and have been identified as critical to transforming cereal crops improvement research and innovation and market systems to accelerate yield gains and generate greater and more inclusive income growth opportunities, improved nutrition, and increased resilience and climate change adaptation: 1) Discover/identify new alleles for prioritized traits critical in climate adaptation using genomics and systems biology approaches, 2) Validate novel alleles/haplotypes controlling climate-resilience traits of cereals crops through functional genomics, phenomics, computational methods, and other relevant approaches in the respective target production environments, 3) Transfer validated alleles/haplotypes for traits important for climate adaptation into elite breeding materials to develop improved varieties with enhanced genetic gain in the market segments identified from the outset.

The successful candidate will work as part of the interdisciplinary Breeding Insight program at Cornell University to collaborate with other universities that are part of the CRCIL International Germplasm Enhancement Network. This will be part of a multidisciplinary Innovation Lab that works with universities in the USA while targeting and working with breeders at multiple international locations. Primary responsibilities for this position include 1) applying genetic principles to enable interpretation of biological phenomena and provide information that guides strategies and optimizes resources in breeding programs, 2) performing statistical analyses and extracting actionable interpretations from genomics and phenomics data collected by CRCIL consortium partners, 3) preparing reports, manuscripts, and presentations of research results. Additionally, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to gain project management experience working directly with international breeders, developing strategies for genetic analysis and data processing for statistical analyses. The candidate will also participate in virtual and in person meetings with breeding teams and the CRCIL team leads contributing to breeding decision support.  

Key responsibilities:

• Collaborate with PIs and Breeders participating in the CRCIL consortium and universities to develop workflows for bioinformatic analyses of genotypic and phenotypic data, prepare reports, manuscripts, and presentations of research results.
• Participate in regular meetings, annual site visits, and contribute to breeding decision support for these programs.

What we need:

• A PhD in the field of bioinformatics, quantitative genetics, molecular breeding, plant or animal genetics, biological informatics, molecular biology, or related field.
• Must have experience in GWAS, linkage mapping, QTL studies, genomic selection, and bioinformatics. 
• Must be proficient with Python, R, and Linux/Unix systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail are required.
• Teamwork, flexibility, and an aptitude for working with a diverse group (both in background and skill set) are especially important in the office/lab environment. 
• International travel (2-3 trips per year) is required to CRCIL partner centers in addition to anticipated domestic travel.

Postdoctoral associates are appointed in 1-year terms, with renewal contingent upon successful performance, available work, and continued funding.

The position is located in Ithaca, NY, but remote work options can be considered.

Why Cornell?

Benefits and rewards include:

• Comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs , employee discounts with local and national retail brands, and more.
• Our leave provisions include three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1.
• Impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Part-Time Study and Employee Degree Program, heavily discounted eCornell courses and certificate programs, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program.

For full consideration for this opportunity, please send a cover letter and CV to Craig Beil at [email protected] .

Pay Range:

$56,484.00 - $80,000.00

Pay Ranges:

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience.
• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position.
• Academic Discipline (faculty pay ranges reflects 9-month annual salary)
• Unique applicable skills.

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For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email [email protected] .

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2024-01-23