[SocBiN] Post-doc fellowship in evolutionary microbiology, Uppsala University (2 years)

[Lionel Guy]

I'm announcing a 2-years postdoctoral fellowship in my research group at Uppsala University.

PROJECT
Our group is studying the evolution of host-adaptation in bacteria. In this particular project, we aim to explore early infections and the role of phagocytosis. The ability to feed on other organisms through phagocytosis is a crucial step in the evolution of eukaryotes, a prerequisite for food webs, multicellularity and, arguably, the acquisition of mitochondria. It also paved the way for intracellular parasitism, as some bacteria avoided digestion by their hosts and multiplied in the nutrient-rich cytoplasm.
Here, we focus on the Deep-branching Intracellular Gammaproteobacteria (DIG), a large group of related bacteria (e.g. Legionella and Francisella) with a wide variety of host-adaptation strategies. We hypothesize that the last common ancestor of DIG, appeared during eukaryogenesis, circa 2 billion years ago, and was among the first bacteria to infect eukaryotes.
To test this hypothesis, the fellow will gather a solid set of DIG genomes, reconstruct their evolutionary history, assess their metabolic potential, and identify their host-adaptation genes. The goal is to better understand the relationships between the first eukaryotes and their early invaders, thereby shedding light on eukaryogenesis, particularly on the role of phagocytosis.

FORM
Two-years post-doctoral fellowship (SEK 300 000, circa EUR 28 300, per annum), free of tax. Fellowship rules exclude candidates with a PhD from, or already employed at, the host institution (Uppsala University). The candidate should in principle have obtained their PhD at most six years before the start of the project. The candidate has to be approved by the funder.
Starting date: to be discussed.
The fellowship is funded by the Carl Trygger Foundation.

BASIC SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
- A PhD in evolutionary biology, molecular evolution, microbiology or related topic.
- Experience with high-throughput sequencing data, metagenomics, comparative genomics, and molecular evolution tools.
- A documented experience of team work and collaborative projects.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Programming experience
- Experience with acquiring metagenomics data

APPLICATIONS
To be sent by email to lionel.guy at imbim.uu.se, latest on 14 March 2022. Applications (in one single document) must include:
- Letter of motivation
- Resume
- Publication list
- Names and contact information of two references or two letters of reference

HOST INSTITUTION
The group is located at the Department of Medical Biochemistry Microbiology, Uppsala University. The host department is a very strong and stimulating research environment, counting over 250 researchers in over 30 groups, and is conducting world-leading research in microbiology.

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our mission is to pursue top-quality research and education and to interact constructively with society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 50 000 students, 7 000 employees and a turnover of SEK 7.4 billion.

CONTACT
Lionel Guy, M: lionel.guy at imbim.uu.se, P: +46 18 471 42 46, W: https://www.imbim.uu.se/research-groups/infection-and-immunity/guy-lionel/

--
Lionel Guy
Department for Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
phone: +46 18 471 4246; mobile +46 73 976 0618; postal address: Box 582, SE-751 23 Uppsala; visiting address: BMC D7:308b, Husargatan 3, SE-752 37 Uppsala
lionel.guy at imbim.uu.se









När du har kontakt med oss på Uppsala universitet med e-post så innebär det att vi behandlar dina personuppgifter. För att läsa mer om hur vi gör det kan du läsa här: http://www.uu.se/om-uu/dataskydd-personuppgifter/

E-mailing Uppsala University means that we will process your personal data. For more information on how this is performed, please read here: http://www.uu.se/en/about-uu/data-protection-policy