Research Associate in Omics of Marine Microbiomes, Biological Sciences

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Biological Sciences in the Faculty of Science invites applications for a Research Associate in Omics of Marine Microbiomes. This Full-time fixed-term position is for approximately 24 months (based on length of grant funding), with the possibility of extension.

Research in the Geomicrobiology Group at the University of Calgary has included field-based marine microbiology projects aimed at better understanding the biogeography and ecophysiology of the marine microbiome. This has included several sampling expeditions to Canada’s Arctic Ocean, and to sites in the NW Atlantic Ocean where water depths >2,000m facilitate research on the deep sea. These expeditions have featured sampling using a variety of mechanisms for obtaining seawater and marine sediment, including the use of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Sampling using different ROV platforms have allowed detailed investigations into the microbiome of benthic environments, including chemosynthetic microbial communities living at seabed hydrocarbon seeps. Marine samples are preserved in such a way that they can be interrogated in the research lab using multi-omics tools, including analysis at the metagenome, metatranscriptome and metaproteome levels, to deliver a detailed understanding of the potential and active roles of marine microbial communities. This Research Associate will focus on assessing marine microbiomes obtained from field sampling expeditions using these multi-omics approaches. This type of analysis requires a combination of fieldwork, wet lab and dry lab skills, including bioinformatics and coding experience.

Reporting to the Principal Investigator of the Geomicrobiology Group, Dr. Casey Hubert, the Research Associate will be a full-time employee responsible for leading marine microbiome research in the area of microbial ecology and ecophysiology of bacteria and archaea in the ocean using bioinformatics, genomics, metagenomics, biogeochemistry and microbiology.

The working location is 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 and language of work is English.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):
• Dry lab analysis of marine microbiome datasets including development of gene models (e.g., Hidden Markov Models) for accurate annotation of different gene families and sub families.
• Metagenomic library preparation, troubleshooting, analysis, and interpretation.
• Amplicon library preparation, troubleshooting, analysis, and interpretation.
• Metatranscriptome library preparation, troubleshooting, analysis, and interpretation.
• Metaproteome library preparation, troubleshooting, analysis, and interpretation.
• Bioinformatics analysis of mixed community metagenomes including metagenome-assembled genomes.
• Nucleic acid extraction (DNA, RNA) from different kinds of samples (water, sediment) using multiple approaches.
• Primer and Probe design based on gene sequence alignments.
• Quantitative analysis of target gene types and sub-types using qPCR and/or digital PCR platforms or fluorescence in situ hybridization.
• Leading and/or supporting publication of results in peer-review journals is expected.
• Maintain a clear and well-documented log of all data, data analyses, results, and lab work.
• Meet with supervisor(s) regularly (e.g., bi-monthly scheduled meetings, as well as interactions on a day-to-day basis) to provide update on status of project results.
• Presentation of results to the GEMM research group in weekly lab meetings (e.g., once every 6 weeks) and when applicable to project end users, sponsors or other researchers (e.g., at workshops, conferences, or in private meetings with end users).
• Understanding of standard operating procedures of the equipment used in the experimental protocols.
• Maintain a clean and safe laboratory work environment.
• Collaboration with colleagues from other departments, faculties, and disciplines.
• Manage time effectively to complete project work and contribute yearly research updates to program sponsors.
• Perform other duties, as assigned by the Research Supervisor.
• Contribute daily towards a positive work environment within a large and diverse team of colleagues in the GEMM group.

Qualifications / Requirements:
• PhD in area of molecular microbiology or bioinformatics or a similar topic is required.
• 5-7 years of related work experience required.
• First-author publication track record in leading journals (e.g., ISME Journal, Nature Communications) is required.
• Familiarity with bioinformatics software applications and/or development, including those applied in but not limited to metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics is required.
• Experience in and knowledge of environmental microbiology and marine microbiology is required.
• Fieldwork in marine microbiology, including benthic sampling using remotely operated vehicles, is required.
• Proficiency with computational bioinformatics tools is required, including coding experience (e.g., Perl, Python, R).
• Experience with both long- and short-read sequencing (e.g., PacBio, Nanopore, Illumina) is required.
• Evidence of effectiveness in mentoring and teaching students (e.g., in student research projects) is required.
• Evidence of effectiveness in managing research projects (e.g., supervising student research) is required.
• Experience writing or assisting with research grant proposals (e.g., ideation) is required.
• Experience in analyzing terabyte-scale sequencing data is an asset.
• Knowledge of WHMIS is required.
• Ability to multi-task and deal with some repetitive tasks is an asset.
• Strong organizational and time management skills are required.
• Good verbal and written communication skills is required.
• Must be comfortable working in a diverse research team and have good interpersonal skills.

Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin on January 24th, 2025.

To apply for this position please visit the University of Calgary Careers page at https://careers.ucalgary.ca/ and search for Job ID 33362

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Technical Job Family, Phase 2. Salary Range is $32.69 – 47.33 per hour.

Contact Information: chubert@ucalgary.ca

Benefits: Include Extended Health Care, Dental, Flexible Spending Account, Long Term Disability, Group Life Insurance, Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP), Vacation, and Sick Leave.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.

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