Four postdoctoral researcher positions in plant metabolic engineering and bioenergy will be available at the Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology and Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology in Texas A&M University. The positions will be part of our expanding plant metabolic engineering group and bioenergy research group. For the first three positions, the new postdoc researchers will participate in metabolic engineering of tobacco and other plants for terpenoid production. The goal is to dramatically increase the terpenod yield for fuels, chemicals, therapeutics, and other applications using our unique pathway design. The research will heavily involve plant genetic modification, enzyme assays, pathway optimization, protein modification, and biochemical analysis. For the first position (P1), we expect the incoming postdoc will have extensive experience in enzyme expression, assay, and other biochemical analysis. For the second and third positions (P2 and P3), we expect the incoming postdoc will have extensive experience with plant transformation and molecular biology. Chloroplast transformation experiences will be a plus. Besides these three positions, a fourth position (P4) will be available in our expanding bioenergy group to lead the downstream biomass conversion research in microbial engineering toward consolidated biomass processing. Basically, he or she will utilize the new enzymes discovered or engineered by our lab to develop microbial strains and conversion processes requiring minimal enzyme input. He or she should have a strong background in microbial engineering and/or bioreactor design. Besides the four positions, we also welcome graduate students with external supports to join us for our expending bioenergy and systems biology research. Matching funds will be available to support those students who carry external funding.
The lab is an expanding new lab with latest platforms, collegial environment, and multidisciplinary training opportunities. The lab is equipped with our own LC/MS/MS platforms for shot-gun proteomics analysis and enzyme structure dynamics studies using newest HDX mass spec strategies. In addition, we have accesses and expertise for many state-of-the-art techniques including next generation sequencing and such. We also have basic molecular biology, protein biochemistry, and bioinformatics set ups. The team also has multidisciplinary background in analytical chemistry, plant genomics, bioinformatics, biochemistry and such, which enables the integrated research. In addition, the general lab environment is collaborative, friendly, dedicated, and constructive. Texas A&M University is a top 20 research university in US as ranked by NSF for R&D expenditure. College Station provides affordable and quality living with convenient transportation to several major metropolitan areas. We want to invite motivated researchers with suitable experience to join us in the emerging and expanding area of bioenergy and plant metabolic engineering. For our research information, please visit our website (still under construction) at http://people.tamu.edu/~syuan/ If you are interested in one of these positions, please don’t hesitate to contact Joshua Yuan at syuan@tamu.edu .Please kind include the ‘Job_Application_Position (P1 to 4)’ in your application.
