POSITION FILLED, May 2019
Teacher-Scholar Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology at WFU
Ph.D. candidate Scott Cory leading students in parasitology lab.
This position offers opportunities to gain and refine expertise in teaching and mentoring undergraduate students while also pursuing independent microbiological research in existing research programs. This is a two-year position. To apply, go to: “https://hr.wfu.edu/careers/” , click on Faculty Openings, and then click on “Teacher-Scholar Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology”.
Teaching opportunities: The successful candidate will teach a one section (~20 students) of general microbiology with laboratory to upper division undergraduates. The course is designed to provide students with a conceptual understanding of microbiology, practical experience with microbiological techniques, and opportunities to develop scientific thinking and communication skills. A link to the current syllabus may be found here [link].
Teaching efforts will be supported by individual Biology faculty mentoring and course material may be developed collaboratively with Drs. Sheri Floge and James Curran. In addition, Wake Forest University is committed to utilizing research-based best practices in teaching and provides ample opportunities for instructor development via the Teaching and Learning Collaborative (TLC; link). Such opportunities include individualized consulting and mentoring with TLC staff, periodic campus-wide workshops, and monthly Scholarly Teaching: Evidence and Methods Reading Community meetings that bring together teacher-scholars from multiple departments to engage in curriculum development and idea exchange. Additional professional development and mentoring opportunities are available via the Wake Forest University Professional Development Center and Mentoring Resource Center.
Research opportunities: The successful candidate will pursue research interests with the support of an existing research program focused on microbial sciences within the Biology Department.The candidate will receive laboratory mentoring, access to research facilities and resources, and funds for conference travel. Research opportunities exist within multiple laboratories with active research programs, detailed below. Applicants should specify which laboratory they would join upon hiring, and may direct research-specific questions to the appropriate laboratory. The PIs in these labs include:
Assistant Professor Regina Cordy studies the pathogenesis of the protozoan parasite Plasmodium, the etiological agent of malaria. Dr. Cordy takes a systems biology approach toward investigating malaria host-parasite interactions and employs a combination of molecular, computational and field-based approaches. Opportunities for postdoctoral research include: (1) investigating the interplay between gut microbes and blood metabolites in malaria-infected hosts, and (2) exploring how fluctuations in extracellular metabolites affect parasite growth and function. [link]
Assistant Professor Sheri Floge studies how marine viruses alter metabolic processes within infected microbes and resulting impacts on planktonic food web dynamics and carbon and nutrient flux (link). Current NSF funded projects include collaborative work with Berkeley Lab and Tufts University to combine viral ecology, metabolomics, microfluidics, and chip-based microbial food webs to discover novel microbial signalling compounds (https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1829905&HistoricalAwards=false). Postdoctoral fellows could expect to participate fully in this highly collaborative project applying cutting edge methods to the field of marine microbial ecology. [link]
Associate Professor Sarah McDonald studies the replication strategies and evolutionary dynamics of rotaviruses, which are important gastrointestinal pathogens of children. Research in the McDonald lab employs genetic, biochemical, and computational techniques to understand how rotavirus replicate their segmented RNA genomes in tandem with virion particle assembly and how strain diversity tempers the exchange of genome segments during co-infection. [link]
Our departmental website, including links to our facilities and other research programs can be found here [link]
To apply, go to: “https://hr.wfu.edu/careers/” , click on Faculty Openings, and then click on “Teacher-Scholar Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology”.
Please direct questions to Dr. James Curran, curran@wfu.edu