Assistant Professor - Harnessing Power of Synthetic Biology

Faculty Position Available:
Cohort Hire:
Harnessing the Power of Synthetic Biology (Syn Bio)

Focus:
Using bacteria to address 21
st
century challenges

Department of Microbiology, Cornell University

Location
:
Ithaca, NY. The academic home for this position is the Department of Microbiology, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, housed on the Ithaca campus of Cornell University.

The Department of Microbiology (MICRO) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University is seeking a highly collaborative scholar to conduct research and teach in the area of microbiology as it relates to synthetic biology. The CALS Harnessing the Power of Synthetic Biology hiring cohort will design and program new organisms to sustainably produce fuels, food and medicines.

Our new colleagues will join our efforts to advance the field of synthetic biology – the harnessing of genes, proteins and biological machinery - as they explore the development of processes and materials that can fight disease, power society, feed communities, and protect the environment for future generations.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Roadmap to 2050 identifies Transdisciplinary Moonshots - opportunities for the College to collaborate on future-focused, cross-disciplinary scientific breakthroughs and to align research, education, and extension programs for greater impact and stronger connectivity. The Moonshot areas build upon core strengths in CALS, spanning the agricultural, environmental, life, and social sciences, with the goal of recruiting 27 faculty into the College.

The CALS Roadmap to 2050 spearheads the "solutions century" by collaborating across the university, our network of partners, and diverse communities to coalesce around the world’s leading challenges. We connect across all of New York state and the world to enliven our innovation ecosystem, connecting local to global programs in the form of new collaborations and basic discoveries.

We seek to hire a microbiologist working in the area of Synthetic Biology at the Assistant Professor level. Microbial processes are essential to diverse applications that address the sustainability of agricultural, environmental, and industrial practices, as well as animal and human health. The ideal candidate will investigate the genetics and physiology of bacterial species and communities with the goal of manipulating these systems to solve contemporary problems.

Potential foci include, but are not limited to, research programs on bacterial metabolism (to exploit the diverse catalytic and biosynthetic capabilities of bacteria), bacterial physiology (to manipulate growth characteristics or environmental interactions), bacterial genetics (to develop and/or apply tools to explore and alter genes, pathways, and regulatory circuits for synthetic biology applications), and synthetic microbial communities (to develop and define synthetic communities with novel properties for medical, industrial, agricultural, or ecological applications).

The best candidate for this position will have an established track-record in interdisciplinary research, and a strong background in bacterial genetics, bacterial physiology, bacterial diversity, and/or microbial data science.

A track-record of publishing outstanding peer-reviewed scholarship is expected, as is excellence in and commitment to teaching, translation of knowledge, and advising and mentoring of students. We seek a colleague with an outstanding record demonstrating success and promise across all these areas, and who will be supported by and contribute to a vibrant culture of inclusive excellence  successful applicant will conduct res…