Geological Postdoctoral Fellow (Climate and Ecosystems) : Berkeley, CA, United States

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In the world of science, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is synonymous with "excellence." That's why we hire the best – whether in research, finance or other operations. This is a great opportunity to bring your top-notch skills to bear in support of world-class scientific research that addresses national and global challenges!

Position Summary:
Berkeley Lab’s Climate and Ecosystems Division has an opening for a Geological Postdoctoral Fellow. The research project will focus on microbial cycling of soil carbon in rivers and response of aquatic microorganisms to seasonal changes. You will be responsible for data collection, analysis and synthesis, as well as manuscript preparation. As a part of the project, you will be in close collaboration with scientist and postdocs from (Joint BioEnergy Institute) JBEI’s Quantitative Metabolic Modeling team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in microbial ecology, genomics, bioinformatics and statistics. We are looking for a highly motivated, independent and creative scientist with excellent organizational skills and a strong publication record.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is a renowned center of scientific expertise in the many facets of environmental and climate sciences. Researchers in the Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division work in a wide range of areas to address the critical energy and environmental issues that require continuing advances in our knowledge of Earth systems.

What You Will Do:
• Organize and conduct field sampling campaigns
• Molecular and chemical analysis of samples
• Design lab-scale incubation experiments, isolate and characterize microorganisms
• Assist PI with training and oversight of the workflow of other technical staff, GSRAs and Student Assistants

What Is Required:
• Recent Ph.D in Microbial Ecology, Microbiology, Bioinformatics, Chemical/Biochemical Engineering, Biochemistry or related field
• Extensive experience performing laboratory research using standard techniques of molecular biology (including extraction and manipulation genomic DNA, RNA and proteins, gel electrophoresis, PCR/qPCR, sample preparation for next-generation sequencing and metabolomics)
• Experience with analytical tools such as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and/or liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry
• Experience with field work
• Experience with: use of computational methods (Coding experience in Python, R), databases of genomic information, and methods of analysis for biological sequence data especially next-generation sequence data
• Ability to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of scientists, and demonstrated record of publishing and presenting at scientific conferences
• Publish results in peer-reviewed journals

Additional Desired Qualifications:
• Experience in isolation of bacteria and/or fungi
• Knowledge on microbial metabolic modelling and metabolic flux analysis
• Participate in group meetings and seminars
• Maintain an accurate and detailed scientific logbook of all experiments performed. Ensure that others could duplicate results

Notes: Berkeley Lab understands the postdoctoral experience in a research environment is unique. We are committed to the growth and development of early career researchers in pursuit of becoming next generation scientists and engineers. Read about the excellent postdoctoral benefits at Berkeley Lab.

This is a 1-year term appointment with the possibility of renewal for up to 2 years based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds, and ongoing operational needs. Salary for postdoctoral positions depends on years of experience post-degree.

This position requires completion of a background check.