The Department of Terrestrial Ecology offers a Postdoc position ‘Linking space to time in ecology: combining ecological research with herbarium collection analysis to track urban evolution in plants’.

Project description:
Urban environments are ever expanding and differ markedly from natural and rural ecosystems. Cities are good test cases for the adaptive capacity of plants and animals in a rapidly changing world. How well do species adapt to the unique environmental challenges in cities, including altered temperature, water regimes, pollution and fragmentation of suitable habitat? The overall goal of the KNAW project ‘Linking space to time in ecology’ is to characterize urban evolution by combining spatial analysis (genetic differentiation of populations between cities and rural / natural habitats) with temporal analysis (tracking micro-evolution through time using herbarium samples). This postdoc project will focus on genomic analysis in the Common dandelion, a species that occurs abundantly both within and outside cities and for which good herbarium collections exist. The project will be carried out at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW, Wageningen) in collaboration with Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden). The aim of the project is to develop and use genomic analysis tools that can be applied to both fresh and herbarium samples, to directly link insights from spatial and temporal urban evolution approaches. This is a unique opportunity to help unlock the genomic insights in adaptation that are contained in herbarium collections. We expect that the project opens new research opportunities and we welcome candidates who enjoy to help shape ideas and proposals for follow-up work.

Job description:

• Design probes, based on an available reference, for a sequence capture approach that targets relevant intraspecific genomic variation (such as transposable elements and noncoding marker loci)
• Analysis of sequencing-based genotyping data (genotyping by sequencing, RADseq) and Hyb-Seq data to investigate genetic variation in urban vs. rural samples, both in fresh and herbarium material
• Participate in project meetings and student supervision
• Presenting results at (inter)national meetings and publish at least one scientific article

We are looking for a postdoc with strong skills and experience in genomic / bioinformatic analysis of plant genomes. The project will be supported by a wet lab technician for DNA isolations and sequencing library preparation. Important skills and requirements are:

• A PhD degree in (plant) genomics, evolutionary genetics, bioinformatics or related field
• Proficiency in bioinformatics pipeline development for in silico genome analysis
• Proven experience with probe design for sequence capture and next-generation sequencing data analysis
• Excellent time management skills

The Postdoc position will be hosted at NIOO-KNAW, Wageningen and will collaborate closely with partners at Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden. The full-time position (1.0 FTE) is for 1 year, or can be extended proportionally over maximum 2 years in case of part-time work. Depending on your experience, the maximum gross salary is € 4,474 per month (scale 10.12) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities, excluding 8% vacation allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus.

Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO)

The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) is an Academy research institute. It conducts ecological research on land, in the ocean and in fresh water and studies how living organisms interact with one another and their environment. NIOO stimulates biodiversity and sustainability in nature and society through its worldwide network of researchers, policymakers, conservationists and other stakeholders.