Position Description

Area:Microbiology and Bioinformatics

Duration: 1-2 Years

Start Date: January-March 2022

Salary: $56000/year (negotiable plus benefits

The Department of Microbiology Immunology and Infectious Diseases in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar in Microbiology and Bioinformatics.

Job Description:

We seek a post-doctoral fellow with bioinformatics experience in bacterial whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis to join our research group.

CF is the most common lethal genetic disease of Canadians and most of its attributable morbidity and mortality relate to repeated and eventually chronic bacterial infections involving the airways. The ultimate goal of our CF work is to understand the natural history clinical impact and infection transmission risk of airways pathogens. For this work we are actively supported by grants from CIHR NIH the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

The candidate will participate in a project which involves WGS of bacterial isolates recovered from the CF airways to understand isolate relatedness between patients and the potential for patient-patient spread. Identifying factors associated with past transmission events will enable future events and their negative consequences to be avoided. Our laboratory maintains a unique resource: the Calgary Adult CF Clinic Biobank a one-of-a-kind collection containing every bacterial pathogen isolated from CF patient from every clinical encounter (1978-present n>55000). Access to this one of-a-kind collection means that our group is uniquely positioned to strategically analyze bacterial infection dynamics in CF on a scale greater than any before. A huge array of spin off projects beyond merely infection transmission are possible with this dataset. Accordingly tremendous potential for scholarly products exists with this position.

Qualifications:

Applicants must have a PhD in microbiology (in the last 3 years) genomics computational biology or related field (such as microbial evolution population genetics or computational biology). Applicants should have a broad microbiology background and experience with scientific computing (Python R Bash) and have a familiarity with working with microbial sequencing data genomics and phylogenetics. Prior experience with Bayesian evolutionary analyses and infection transmission dynamics is an advantage. The successful applicant should be highly motivated have strong communication skills (verbal and written) and have a strong record of peer-reviewed publication(s) demonstrating their skills and creativity through principal authorship. The ability to work as part of a team is integral to the position.

* Please review the Postdoc Eligibility Guidelines for more information prior to applying for this position.

Application details:

The Parkins lab at the University of Calgary (https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/parkinslab/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=parkins+m) is a translational research group and a member of the Infectious Disease Research Group. Dr. Parkins is the Section-Chief of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine and a clinician scientist with a range of research interests pursued in his laboratory including tracking SARS-CoV-2 and antimicrobial resistance determinants in community wastewater finding clinical correlates of blood stream and prosthetic joint infections and investigating various aspects of airways infections in cystic fibrosis (CF).

Please send CV and a cover letter and/or enquiries to:

Dr Michael Parkins

Director Calgary Adult CF Clinic

3330 Hospital Drive NW

Calgary AB T2N 4N1

[emailprotected]

We will seek to hire the most qualified applicant in early 2022 to join a project that has already begun.

Additional Information

To learn more about postdoctoral scholar opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer view our Postdoc Careers website. For more information about the Cumming School of Medicinevisit Careers in the Cumming School of Medicine.

COVIDSafe Campus Strategy

The University has implemented a new Vaccination Directive that requires all faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 1 2022. You will be required to upload proof of vaccination prior to commencing your duties. Please review the COVIDSafe Campus website for further information and access to additional resources.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canadas leading next-generation university a living growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nations most enterprising city the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized asone of Canadas top five research universities grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads.The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information visit ucalgary.ca.

To succeed as one of Canadas top universities where new ideas are created tested and applied through first-class teaching and research the University of Calgary needs more of the best minds in our classrooms and labs. Were increasing our scholarly capacity by investing in people who want to change the world bringing the best and brightest to Calgary to form a global intellectual hub and achieve advances that matter to everyone. For more information visit research.ucalgary.ca/postdocs.

About Calgary Alberta

Calgary is one of the world's cleanest cities and has beennamed 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 hours 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 in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High 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.

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 professional success while they are here.