City : Hamilton

Category : Other

Industry : Education

Employer : McMaster University

Focus: Metagenomic analyses of terrestrial permafrost cores from the Yukon, Alaska, and other regions of northern Canada, using sedaDNA to reconstruct Quaternary ecosystems and test methodological optimizations for DNA recovery and authentication.

Responsibilities

- Lead an independent but collaborative research program within your thematic area (permafrost, marine, or bioinformatics), including experimental design, data generation, analysis, and manuscript preparation.

- Mentor and collaborate with PhD candidates and other trainees working on related sedaDNA projects (with 1-2 PhD and/or MSc students).

- Contribute to the Can-aDNA Network, including organizing and moderating online seminars, helping coordinate annual symposia, and engaging with the national community through the online forum.

- Spend time at both the Hakai Institute Biodiversity Genomics facilities on Quadra Island, BC (near the city of Campbell River on Vancouver Island) and McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario), and other collaborating institutions as needed.

- Present research at national and international conferences and contribute to open, reproducible data and method sharing.

Example activities:

- Work with permafrost cores from Canadian permafrost archives, including subsampling, DNA extraction, library preparation, and capture enrichment under strict ancient DNA protocols.

- Optimize workflows for DNA release from organo-mineral complexes, inhibitor removal, and library preparation efficiencies for highly degraded, low-abundance DNA.

- Apply and refine targeted capture approaches for plants, vertebrates, and other taxa to reconstruct past ecosystems and ecological transitions, including building in-house baits.

- Integrate sedaDNA results with stratigraphic, geochronologic, and palaeoenvironmental data to address questions about biodiversity change, extinction, and adaptation through glacial–interglacial cycles.

Qualifications

Required:

- PhD (completed or near completion) in a relevant field such as ancient DNA, molecular ecology, biomolecular archaeology, evolutionary genomics, bioinformatics, marine science, Quaternary science, or a related discipline.

- Demonstrated experience with ancient or environmental DNA and/or high-throughput sequencing data, with contamination control for the wet-lab-heavy roles, or with large-scale sequence data analysis and pipelines for the bioinformatics role.

- Strong quantitative, analytical, and writing skills, with evidence of peer-reviewed publications commensurate with career stage.

- Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-institution, interdisciplinary team and to mentor junior trainees.

Preferred:

- Permafrost PDF: Experience with permafrost, Quaternary geology, palaeoecology, or sedimentary archives; prior work with sedaDNA or ancient DNA strongly preferred.

Appointment Length:

2 years (with the possibility of extension subject to funding).  Annual salary plus benefits (provided in accordance with McMaster University guidelines.)  Post-doctoral fellows will be employees of McMaster University, working closely with and spending time at the Hakai Institute. 
Normal hours of work are 35 hours per week.