Postdoctoral Scholar - Research Associate

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, staff, and students that make the university a great place to work.  

As a community of Dornsife College “we are committed to the creation, preservation, and communication of fundamental knowledge in all its forms…as well as a lifelong passion for learning and a commitment to the betterment of society.”  The academic mission of Dornsife College can only be realized to its fullest potential when we build and protect a representative, equitable, inclusive culture of scholarship for students, faculty, and staff.  This is not done through initiatives but by embedding these values into the everyday interactions, relationships, policies, and practices of the College.  What is required is a seamless integration of the tenets of equity and inclusivity into every facet of academic life.  If we want our scholars, staff, and students to be able to give their very best, we must create an academic environment that portends success.  

Success is possible when every member of the Dornsife community owns their role as a steward of the culture in which we learn, research, and work; when we believe that it is because of who we are that we are able to do what we do: achieve excellence, together. 

Achieving a robust and inclusive academic culture requires more than just the completion of a task, but includes that person’s capacity to contribute positively to the relationships and culture of their office or department.  Therefore, any applicant seeking to advance the mission of Dornsife College should also be assessed on their capacities beyond the technical elements of their work, and demonstrate an understanding of their impact on others, and to articulate how they contribute positively to those around them.

The USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in the Marine & Environmental Biology Department, Cnidarian Evolutionary Ecology (CEE) Lab. The largest and oldest of the USC schools, USC Dornsife functions as the academic core of the university, offering courses and advancing knowledge across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.

The successful applicant will lead neuro- and comparative genomic analyses to characterize neurobiology-related genetic variation in wild coral populations. This position fulfils a need in the Environmental Neurogenomics research sphere of a newly funded Allen Discovery Center for Neurobiology in Changing Oceans which aims to bridge knowledge gaps about the neurobiology of marine animals in natural settings to enhance our predictive power and ability to intervene. This Center involves multiple investigators and institutions, providing ample networking and career development opportunities for the successful applicant. There will also be latitude to develop additional projects within the broader themes of the Center based on the candidate’s interests.

The initial appointment will be for a 6-month probationary period, after which reappointment is possible for successful and productive candidates for up to a total of three years, with commensurate annual performance raises. An immediate start date is desired, but ideally the candidate will begin no later than January 2025. Remote, hybrid or flexible work arrangements can be negotiated. To be considered for this position, please submit a CV, contact information for up to three references and a cover letter outlining your fit with the position description and desired qualifications as detailed below. Submit applications as a single combined PDF. Applications will be reviewed beginning October 1 and will continue until the position is filled.

The CEE Lab values inclusion and encourages applications from diverse applicants. We define diversity as people of different backgrounds, races, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations, beliefs, religions, socio-economic statuses, and more, and inclusivity as an approach where we respect, welcome, encourage, and engage diverse perspectives. Our strength and success as a research group, department, and university, is built on the foundation of a wide range of perspectives and experiences.

Research and communication (80%)

• Analyze whole genome sequencing data from local and regional collections of coral to identify genetic variants (e.g. SNPs, CNVs, INDELs and structural rearrangements)
• Conduct eGWAS to identify variants that significantly co-vary with key environmental variables, such as, ocean floor topography, maximum and minimum temperature or dissolved CO2/pH levels.
• Integrate population level analyses with species-level investigation by identifying orthologs in other publicly available genomes to investigate macroevolutionary patterns of variation, such as signatures of selection and convergent substitution, in known neurobiological pathways associated with relevant coral life-history traits.
• Integrate genomic analyses with functional annotations and other datasets (e.g. RNAseq) to generate list of neurobiology relevant candidate genes.
• Generate reproducible work-flows in collaboration with other Discovery Center neurogenomic sphere researchers. Maintain protocols in publicly available repositories.
• Report results in the form of scholarly manuscripts and presentations at center meetings, conferences and other research and applied forums to disseminate findings to the broader community of scientists and reef restoration practitioners.
• Conduct occasional wet-lab and/or fieldwork to procure specimens and support related center research aims as relevant/desired

Professional development: (10%)

• Develop skills and expertise by participating in laboratory and group meetings and undertake further training as required
• Pursue additional research opportunities consistent with ultimate career goals
• Build positive relationships with partner organizations to exchange information, accelerate future research directions, and translate results for reef restoration applications

Mentorship and engagement (10%)

• Supervising and training graduate and undergraduate students in neurobiology and/or genomic analyses.
• Contribute to shared lab duties on a rotational basis.

QUALIFICATIONS - items are essential (E) or desirable (D)

Knowledge and experience

• PhD in relevant discipline (genomics, neurobiology, or similar) (E)
• Knowledge of neurobiology (E)
• Proven experience analyzing genomic data (E)
• Prior experience with analysis of whole genome data (D)
• Knowledge of coral reef ecosystems (D)

Skills and abilities

• Experience with command-line programming and high performance computing systems (E)
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages (D)
• Proven ability to communicate through scholarly publications and presentations (E)
• The ability to work independently and with minimal supervision using a systematic, orderly and responsible approach to routine duties, security, storage, and record keeping (E)
• Able to anticipate, recognise and resolve problems at an early stage (E)
• Excellent teamwork and good interpersonal skills (E)
• A practical understanding and application of health and safety in the work place (E)

Personal attributes

• Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (E)
• Willingness to work flexibly to achieve lab objectives (E)
• Commitment to own learning and professional development (E)

Salary range: The salary range for this position is $66,737 - $67,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Required Documents and Additional Information:

• Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.
• Job openings are posted for a minimum of (5) five business days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended, so please apply on the same business day if interested.

The University of Southern California is an Equal Opportunity Employer that Values Diversity.

PhD in relevant discipline (genomics, neurobiology, or similar) Knowledge of neurobiology Proven experience analyzing genomic data