Postdoctoral Associate | Plant Breeding and Genetics Section | School of Integrative Plant Science, CALS

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School of Integrative Plant Science

Section of Plant Breeding and Genetics

Postdoctoral Associate

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a pioneer of purpose-driven science and home to Cornell University’s second largest population of students, faculty and staff. We work across disciplines to tackle the challenges of our time through world-renowned research, education and outreach. The questions we probe and the answers we seek focus on three overlapping concerns: natural and human systems; food, energy and environmental resources; and social, physical and economic well-being. CALS is fundamentally invested in improving the lives of people, their environments and their communities both in New York state and around the world.

The Cornell Plant Breeding & Genetics Section trains interdisciplinary scientists in the elaboration of new breeding methods, the discovery of genetic mechanisms important for economically important traits, and the creation of genetic stocks, germplasm, and varieties. We promote a collaborative and interactive workspace to improve shared learning and mutual support between basic and applied researchers. We are leaders in innovative plant breeding research, teaching, and extension. We collaborate globally.

The Jannink lab works with several crop species (wheat, oat, barley, cassava, and the brown alga sugar kelp) to develop genomic prediction methods and integrate them optimally into breeding schemes. We work together to discover, build on, and share new ideas and tools from across computational disciplines that lead to successful applied breeding outcomes.

Over the past decade the Triticeae Toolbox (T3, triticeaetoolbox.org) has compiled national and regional cooperative nurseries along with single experiments. It is the single largest publicly available data resource of field and genotyping trials for wheat, barley, and oat. In the new Wheat Coordinated Agricultural Project (WheatCAP), 20 public sector breeders will deposit to T3 field and drone-based imaging phenotypes and mid-density genomic data. These phenomic data are linked through pedigree and DNA-marker-based haplotypes. The postdoc will team up with the T3 data curator and database programmer to work in this computational genetics space using haplotype graph imputation to create a uniform, high density marker set across all lines. From there many analyses will be possible with endpoints ranging from longitudinal growth curve analyses, haplotype identification and effect estimation across environments, to optimal cross selection maximizing segregation. The postdoc will develop their own analyses, collaborate with WheatCAP PIs on others, and apply them to these data of unprecedented scale in the public sector. The postdoc will publish resulting new methodology and biological insights, and help accelerate breeding gain among WheatCAP programs. In addition to T3, Cornell hosts much relevant software development: Breedbase (breedbase.org), Breeding Insight (breedinginsight.org), and BrAPI (brapi.org). The postdoc will collaborate whenever fruitful with these efforts to extend functionality to broader audiences.

Anticipated Division of Time

35% Imputation, genotype-to-phenotype model building and implementation

30% Consultation with WheatCAP collaborators

25% Writing / publishing

10% Collaboration for software development

Requirements

PhD in plant or animal breeding with emphasis on quantitative methods, or quantitative or population genetics. Proficiency in R. Demonstrated communication skills, both written and verbal.

Preferred qualifications

Version control / reproducible programming skills. Ability to collaborate on software development projects. Management and leadership soft skills.

Supervision Exercised

This position may supervise students.

Applications To apply
Candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, Research Statement, and contact information for 3 references, and a statement of contribution to diversity, equity, and inclusion via the website https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/22173 .

All application materials must be received by close of business on August 31, 2022.

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2022-07-27-07:00