North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is a dynamic community whose members are dedicated to preparing veterinarians and veterinarian scientists while advancing animal and human health from the cellular level through entire ecosystems. Located on 180 acres near downtown Raleigh, the College encompasses 20 buildings on the main Centennial Biomedical Campus. Instruction is in three departments—Clinical Sciences, Molecular Biomedical Sciences, and Population Health Pathobiology. In addition to the four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, there are programs leading to master and doctoral degrees in several areas with numerous opportunities for specialization.
An exciting postdoctoral research scholar position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Kelly A. Meiklejohn within the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology at North Carolina State University. The postdoctoral research scholar will be responsible for assisting with tasks on a federally funded grant looking to assess the effects of anthropogenic change on a native bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) of economic importance, by testing for differential expression of biochemical and genetic stress markers along with pathogen detection, across urban, agricultural, and natural habitats.
The postdoctoral research scholar will complete the following tasks:
- Dissecting insect samples
- Extracting and purifying RNA from insect tissues
- Extracting and purifying biochemicals (crude proteins, lipids, and sugars) and quantifying with colorimetric tests
- Detecting and quantifying pathogens (eurkaryote and virus) in insect tissues with qPCR
- Analyzing data (gene expression, pathogen detection/quantification, biochemical tests)
- Developing integrated tests to evaluate potential impact of geographic, temporal, and land-use characteristics
- Communicating results at scientific conferences and through peer-reviewed manuscript(s)
Duties & Responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:
- Plan and conduct day-to-day experimental activities and literature review relating to research projects to a high standard.
- Retain accurate records of research findings along with analysis of results and present research findings at internal meetings and conferences.
- Work in a collegial and cooperative manner with the faculty supervisor and other co-workers, and train students (undergraduate/graduate) with standard research techniques.
Other Work/Responsibilities
Additional duties include mentoring undergraduates, who will help with bench work on the projects. Present results at scientific meetings and internal lab meetings. The scholar will meet frequently Drs. Meiklejohn, Pimsler and Metz to discuss writing grant proposals, presenting at conferences, and other learning opportunities.
Requirements and Preferences
Department Required Skills
In addition to molecular biology lab skills, the ideal candidate must be self-motivated, should have demonstrated excellence in scientific English language skills, and be willing to guide graduate and undergraduate students. The ideal candidate also must be able to perform research independently (designing and conducting experiments, analyzing and interpreting original data, drafting manuscripts, and drafting research grant proposals). Strong attention to detail, organization skills along with a great work ethic.
Preferred Years Experience, Skills, Training, Education
Having experience with:
- Nucleic acid extraction and purification
- Library preparation
- Colorimetric biochemical quantification
- Gene expression analysis
- Population genetics analysis
- Bioinformatics including coding and processing jobs on high performance computing clusters
- Biostatistics
- Training and mentoring undergraduate students
- Writing scientific papers and presenting findings at scientific meetings 0-2 years of postdoctoral experience after Ph.D. degree.
