Postdoctoral Scholar, Genomics of Clinical and Environmental Microbes

Position Description

Area:  Genomics of Clinical and Environmental Microbes   
Duration:  Two Year Position
Start Date:  ASAP
Annual Stipend: $60,000-65,000 depending on experience/year plus benefits   

The Faculty of Science and the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary and the Faculty of Science and Technology at Athabasca University are accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar in Wastewater-Based Epidemiology and Molecular Microbiology.

Job Description:

The omics postdoc will be part of an interdisciplinary research team that is using wastewater to track the dynamics of infectious agents. We have developed an integrated surveillance network monitoring 43 municipalities, as well as several sentinel surveillance hubs including a large number of tertiary care hospitals and populations of special interest from which we collect samples 1-3x per week.  Wastewater data can be compared with population-level data and hospital-specific data drawing from a single provincial health provider – and the potential of this unique network is exceptional. The omics postdoc will work directly with a transdisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers at the University of Calgary (Faculties of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and Advancing Canadian Water Assets (ACWA)) and Athabasca University. The postdoc will also have the opportunity to collaborate with the City of Calgary’s municipal employees and public health experts at Alberta Health Services.

The successful applicant will join a productive transdisciplinary team with supporting research funding from CIHR, Genome Canada, and Alberta Health. The postdoc will work as part of a large team that includes several staff with PhDs, graduate students, and undergraduates. They will report to Michael Parkins (Section Chief of Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine) and Srijak Bhatnagar, Bioinformatics lead, Faculty of Science and Technology).

The successful candidate will be based at the University of Calgary and utilize archived and newly collected wastewater samples for molecular and bioinformatics analyses for the detection of antimicrobial resistance that is relevant to community public health. The candidate will be exposed to multiple teams, including other bioinformaticians with complementary skills working across a range of labs and campuses. This position will utilize our existing research capacity in field sampling to follow with molecular detection using nucleic acid sequencing (amplicon and/or shotgun) based approaches. Applying or developing bioinformatics analysis pipelines is an essential part of this work. This postdoc will play a key role in our team’s efforts to disseminate information, such as peer-reviewed publications and presentations. Accordingly, contributing to the preparation of manuscripts will be a high-priority objective for this position. Additional responsibilities will include participating in and supporting the team described above and some supervision of junior colleagues.

Qualifications:

• PhD in bioinformatics, microbiology, molecular biology, or a related field
• Strong experience in bioinformatics, preferably (meta)genomics of antimicrobial resistance or wastewater environment
• Experience in High Performance Computing (HPC) or cluster computing for bioinformatics analyses
• Experience in scripting in Python and/or R, use of software for genomic or metagenomic analysis, and data visualization
• Experience with biostatistical approaches is desirable
• Understanding of analytical methods, particularly in molecular microbiology
• Field sampling experience, including wastewater experience, is an asset – but will not be a requirement for the position
• Must be able to work in a team environment and interact with a diverse range of colleagues and collaborators
• Strong communication skills as well as good organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work independently and resourcefully, while interacting effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels of the organization
• Able to work within a collaborative setting with others to set clear priorities while managing multiple timelines and objectives
• Evidence of good research productivity
• Strong academic writing potential

To be eligible as a Postdoctoral scholar at the University of Calgary, you must have been awarded a PhD or equivalent within the five (5) years immediately preceding the appointment.  Please review the Postdoc Eligibility Guidelines for more information prior to applying for this position.

Application Details:

Candidates should apply online directly to this posting and include the following as a single PDF file in their application:

1. A brief cover letter outlining interest in this project, detailing qualifications and/or related experience as well as career goals.
2. A detailed resumé.
3. Name and contact information of three references.
4. An example of your peer-reviewed publications.

Additional Information

The terms and conditions of employment are covered under the UCalgary and PDAC Collective Agreement. To find out more about postdoctoral scholar program at the University of Calgary visit our Postdocs website.  

To learn more about postdoctoral scholar opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Postdoc Careers website.

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada’s entrepreneurial university, located in Canada’s most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada’s leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

About Calgary, Alberta

Calgary is one of the world's cleanest cities and has been named one of the world's most livable cities for years. Calgary is a city of leaders – in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians benefit from the strongest economy in the nation and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour’s drive from the Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([email protected]).