05 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Iowa State University, USA

Viruses represent an emerging threat to agricultural production, and yet our understanding in their interactions with their hosts and vectors is limited. The opening Olmedo-Velarde and Larrea-Sarmiento laboratories in the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated postdoctoral researcher to work on projects related to Host-Virus-Vector interactions studies in corn, grapevine and other crops. The project topics may include but are not limited to: development of infectious clones for RNA viruses, virome analyses and virus characterization. The selected candidate is expected to work independently while being able to work in team and mentor future undergrad and graduate student members of the program. This is a 12-month full-time appointment for 1 year, with potential for renewal.

The Wolter Lab at Iowa State University, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is recruiting a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on a multi-year project supported by the USDA Forest Service.  The ultimate goal is to develop geospatial tools and products to (1) define wood source material and relative costs of extraction and (2) develop fire risk & C emission scenarios within the Kawishiwi Ranger District of the Superior National Forest as part of a fuel reduction effort to mitigate wildfire risk in this region. The overarching goal is to enable and improve decision-making and ecosystem resilience via remote sensing and terrain analysis methodologies.  The candidate’s work will involve a complete LIDAR-based mapping of small-diameter forest ladder fuels, satellite-based estimates/maps of standing forest fuel volume, and joint publication of results in peer-reviewed scientific journals.  The candidate will work in collaboration with researchers from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities & Duluth), Michigan Technological University, and the USDA Forest Service.  

The College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University is accepting applications for a Post-doctoral Scientist within the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine (VMPM). The primary responsibilities of

the position are to design and execute advanced molecular and virology-based research techniques including the construction of chimeric flaviviruses and subsequent characterization of their in vitro vertebrate and mosquito host ranges and replication kinetics. Other advanced research techniques include the use of Proximity Protein Labeling and RNAi-induced gene knockdown to identify and characterize the virus-host interactions that condition flavivirus host-specificity.

Additional duties include taking a lead role in the preparation of manuscripts, the presentation of research data to the scientific community both locally and nationally, and the supervision of student employees and training of technical support staff. The successful candidate will have strong organizational skills, creative problem solving abilities, be highly self-motivated and possess the ability to work independently.

Would you like to work for a National Laboratory that conducts world-renowned research? Would you enjoy working on a diverse, beautiful, university campus? Can you imagine yourself in a mid-sized location that regularly ranks as one of the U.S. Best Places to Live? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider a career with Ames National Laboratory!

Ames Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy federally contracted National Laboratory located in Ames, Iowa, on the campus of Iowa State University. We are dedicated to translating foundational science through applied research to create technological innovations. We create materials, inspire minds to solve problems, and address some of the most challenging issues facing our world today. We promote and believe in a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, civility, and shared ownership in support of the Laboratory’s collective success.

The Division of Chemical & Biological Sciences is seeking a postdoctoral associate with a background in solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The chosen candidate will join a large multidisciplinary team consisting of researchers from both Ames National Laboratory, as well as other national laboratories and universities. The successful candidate will be responsible for conducting investigations of heterogeneous catalysts, polymers, and other materials by conventional as well as dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) enhanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

Much of the work performed by the candidate will be as a part of the Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP), an Energy Frontier Research center tasked with the development of catalytic upcycling methods for the conversion of plastics into more valuable products such as surfactants and lubricants. Solid-state NMR experiments performed by the candidate will involve the characterization of catalysts developed by the center as well as the application of multinuclear and multidimensional solid-state NMR to gain a deeper understanding of the interactions between catalytic materials and polymers using both in and ex situ magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy.

Our group is equipped with three conventional solid-state NMR spectrometers with magnetic fields of 9.4 and 14.1 T and MAS probes for rotor diameters ranging from 5 to 0.75 mm (100 kHz MAS frequency). Aside from these instruments, the lab is also equipped with a 9.4 T Bruker MAS-DNP NMR spectrometer with both 3.2 and 1.3-mm MAS-DNP probes and will soon install a second MAS-DNP spectrometer with a magnetic field strength of 14.1 T. The successful candidate will collaborate with other PIs in the Division of Chemical and Biological Sciences and the Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering for synthetic and additional characterization needs.

An NIH funded postdoctoral position is available in the MacIntosh lab to study the role of lysosomal proteins in endocytosis and lipid transport in Drosophila. We are also interested in the connection between these processes and lysosomal disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. The laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach, including microscopy, metabolomics, and transcriptomics analyses to uncover the metabolic pathways that control acidification of the endocytic pathway, the role of endocytic processes in interorgan lipid transport, and homeostasis. For recent publications supporting this project and the open questions that we want to address, please see Chaudhry et al. 2022. Autophagy 18 (10), 2443-2458; Handy et al. 2024. Autophagy 20 (2), 437-440. In addition, there will be opportunities for gaining mentorship experience via helping to train junior investigators in the group and for developing projects contributing to their own related areas of interest to start an independent career.

We are seeking a motivated individual with a Ph.D. in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, or related areas. Experience in Drosophila molecular genetics is preferred. Candidates should have a strong interest and background in one or more of the following: lipid biology, molecular biology, imaging, bioinformatics and systems biology, cell biology, and/or animal models of disease. The successful applicant will have excellent organizational and communication skills, a commitment to detail, the ability to work both independently and as part of a larger team, and a demonstrated capacity to perform creative and original research.