Positions available (until filled)
Graduate Students
Prospective students that would like to join the UC Davis graduate program, please follow these instructions for applying.Please refrain from sending individual emails to faculty, unless it is really necessary, and instead clearly state in your application materials what your interests are and potential areas/people that you would like to work with.
Graduate students that have been admitted to the program and are interested in joining the lab are welcome to send me an email to meet and discuss further. Generally there are no prerequisites that I am looking for, although it is expected that students involved in computational projects have mastered basic programming techniques and have core training in computer science or related engineering area. Students that would like to do experimental work should have some experience with wetlab and a basic understanding of scripting languages, like Perl. Having said that, what matters most is enthousiasm, dedication and a record of excellence in what you are doing.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Postdoctoral position in Synthetic Biology and Microbial Evolution
Description: A postdoctoral position is available for a project that brings together synthetic biology and microbial evolution. Synthetic biology is a nascent discipline that aspires to be a paradigm shift on how we can manipulate the behavior and characteristics of target organisms. Microbes are often a preferred host, as they are easy to engineer, cultivate and have a rapid grow. They are also subject to high mutation rates, however, which may result to genome-wide alterations, undesired phenotypic changes, and the loss of function for the synthetic constructs. The successful candidate will investigate how to build robust, adaptable synthetic circuits, the evolution of synthetic circuits in various environmental contexts, and the network dynamics of emerging microbial behavior. This project complements well current experimental (microbial evolution in stressful environments), and computational (multi-scale microbial simulations and predictive tools) projects in our lab.
Qualifications: Applicants must have a Ph.D. in life sciences, bioengineering, or related field with demonstrated skills in molecular biology, cell culture and genetics. Studies will entail gene expression techniques (quantitative real-time PCR, RNA-Seq, knockouts, etc.), ChIP-Seq, sequencing, and experimental evolution (shake flasks, chemostat). Familiarity with chemostat operation and synthetic biology (e.g. use of Parts Registry) is a plus. The successful candidate will have a proven record of success, he will be able to conduct research independently, he will be willing to learn new techniques, and he will be passionate about his work.
Postdoctoral positions in Computational Biology
Description: We are seeking computationally-oriented postdoctoral researchers who would like to work on projects related to microbial evolution, systems and synthetic biology. Projects will involve modeling and simulation of multi-scale biological systems in supercomputer environments (including Blue Waters, a Petascale NSF computer that will become operational in 2012), biological network inference, and application of machine learning to biological data. The successful candidates will become proficient in next-generation supercomputer architectures. Excellent knowledge of object oriented programing is required. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a biological, computational, engineering or mathematical field. Background in optimization or machine learning is a plus.
Lab Environment: This is a new, truly interdisciplinary lab that currently employs graduate students and researchers from computer science, microbiology and chemistry. New ideas and student-initiated projects that are within the general mission of the lab are encouraged. Projects are usually integrative, employing both state-of-the-art computational and experimental techniques. This provides an excellent training environment for experimental researchers who want to learn more about computational biology, and vice versa. A generous salary and benefits package is offered.
How to apply: Please send your CV, a research statement of prior and future research and a list of three references to Dr. Ilias Tagkopoulos (email)
