Postdoctoral Researcher - Lyme Disease Bacteriophage Biology

Postdoctoral Researcher
- Lyme Disease Bacteriophage Biology Please see Special Instructions for more details.

This position is not eligible for new sponsorship.

Position Information

Announcement Number

Announcement Number STAFF - VA - 27075

For questions regarding this position, please contact:

Working Title Postdoctoral Researcher
- Lyme Disease Bacteriophage Biology

Brief Position Overview

The Secor Lab seeks a postdoctoral researcher to investigate bacteriophage biology in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. The successful candidate will help define how phiBB-1 controls horizontal gene transfer and bacterial adaptation across the tick-mouse infectious cycle.

Position Number

Position Number 4C2248

Department

Department Microbiology & Cell Biology

Division

Division College of Agriculture/MAES

Appointment Type

Appointment Type Research Professional

Contract Term

Contract Term Fiscal Year

Semester

If other, specify From date

If other, specify End date

FLSA

FLSA Exempt

Union Affiliation

Union Affiliation Exempt from Collective Bargaining

FTE

FTE 1.0

Benefits Eligible

Salary Salary commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications.

Contract Type

Contract Type LOA

If other, please specify

Recruitment Type

Recruitment Type Open

General Statement

The Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology at Montana State University invites applications for a full-time, benefits-eligible Postdoctoral Researcher in the Secor Laboratory. The Secor Lab studies how bacteria, bacteriophages, and animal hosts interact to shape microbial evolution and disease. This NIH / NIAID
-funded project centers on the temperate bacteriophage phiBB-1, the cp32 prophage family, and phage-mediated movement of antigen and other genetic material among

B. burgdorferi strains. The project combines mechanistic phage biology with the natural tick-vector and vertebrate-host cycle. A candidate will develop a research focus that builds on their strengths; prior Lyme disease or tick experience is welcome but is not required.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Design and conduct independent and collaborative studies of phiBB-1/cp32 biology, phage replication, lysis-lysogeny regulation, transduction, and horizontal gene transfer.
• Investigate how phage activity and genetic exchange influence
  
  B. burgdorferi across tick and mammalian host environments.
• Use and/or develop approaches in bacterial or phage genetics, molecular biology, vector biology, animal infection, microscopy, genomics, transcriptomics, biochemistry, or computational analysis, depending on expertise.
• Analyze data, maintain reproducible records, present findings, and lead or contribute to publications and funding applications.
• Collaborate across disciplines and contribute to mentoring and a safe, constructive research environment.

Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

• PhD or equivalent doctoral degree completed by the start date in microbiology, bacteriology, molecular biology, genetics or genomics, vector biology or entomology, infectious disease, immunology, biochemistry, bioinformatics or computational biology, or a closely related field.
• Research experience in at least one relevant area: bacterial or phage genetics; molecular biology or biochemistry; arthropod vector biology; animal models of infection; microscopy; genomics or transcriptomics; or quantitative/computational biology.
• Evidence of research productivity through a peer-reviewed publication, preprint, or substantive dissertation research.
• Experience analyzing research data and documenting experimental or computational methods and results.

Preferred Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

• Experience in one or more of the following: bacteriophages or prophages; transduction or horizontal gene transfer;
  Borrelia or other spirochetes; ticks or other arthropod vectors; mouse models of infection; bacterial genetic manipulation; fluorescence or electron microscopy; genome sequencing, RNA
  -seq, or bioinformatics.
• Experience developing, optimizing, or troubleshooting complex experimental or computational workflows.
• Experience working in a collaborative or multidisciplinary research setting.
• Experience…