Post Doctoral Research Position in Environmental Microbial Genomics

A vacancy, at post-doctoral research level, is available at the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) http://www.ucc.ie/en/ERI/ at University College Cork for a project focusing on the isolation of novel anti-phytopathogenic agents from soil microbes using functional metagenomics. The project will create and screen a soil metagenome library and assess the ability of clones within this library to suppress the growth of several well characterised phytopathogenic fungi. The candidate will preferably have good molecular biology skills and be familiar with extracting DNA from soil matrices, fosmid library construction and screening methods; however training in these areas for outstanding candidates will be offered. The successful candidate will be joining a dynamic group at the ERI who are currently using metagenomic methods in a variety of environmental settings to explore the potential of microbial communities to provide novel products and products with biotechnological applications.

The Project which is funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture & Food through the Research Stimulus Fund Programme is part of a collaboration involving the research groups of Dr Fiona Doohan from the School of Biology & Environmental Science at University College Dublin and Dr Julian Marchesi from the School of Biosciences, at Cardiff University, in Wales.

Salary range for this position will be € 40,638- €42,592 and the contract will be for a 3 year period.

Please send a current CV and cover letter, together with the names of 2 academic referees to Prof. Alan Dobson, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork. Tel: +353-21-4901946, email  a.dobson@ucc.ie

The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday May 30th, 2008