Postdoctoral Fellow

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent scientific and cultural institutions, and has as its mission to discover, interpret and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education and exhibition.

The Herpetology department is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to work in the areas of evolutionary and genomic biology. The Fellow will be based in the Burbrink Lab and work in collaboration with Dr. Tiago Simões (Princeton University) and Dr. Marc Tollis (Northern Arizona University) on the NSF-funded collaborative project “The Genomic Basis of Evolutionary Innovations in the Squamate Tree of Life.”

The Postdoctoral Fellow will help with the main goal of exploring the genomic foundations of evolutionary innovations throughout Squamata (lizards, snakes and amphisbaenians). The study will result in a clearer understanding of genomic-phenotypic relationships across broad taxonomic scales by comparing rates of evolutionary change across the phenotype and throughout the genome using a comprehensive sample of trait space from extant and extinct taxa and sequences from all protein coding and regulatory genes. Working with Dr. Burbrink, the Fellow will be responsible for producing high-quality whole genome data for squamates, which will include extracting high molecular weight DNA, performing quality control on samples, sending samples for sequencing and assembling and annotating genomes. Additionally, the Fellow will help analyze integrated genomic data, develop computer code and write manuscripts focusing on macroevolutionary analyses relating rates of genetic and morphological evolution across deep time.

Applicants should have the capacity to work both independently and collaboratively with team members. Ideal candidates will exhibit creativity and the desire to work in an interactive and inter-disciplinary environment.

This one-year appointment is expected to be renewed for a second year based on satisfactory performance.

The expected salary range for the Postdoctoral Fellow is $69,108/annual. The AMNH offers an extensive benefits package designed to meet the needs of our dedicated and diverse community.

Pay will be determined based on several factors. The hiring range for the position at commencement is based on the type of work and the scope of responsibilities. The salary and placement offered is based on a number of individualized factors, including, but not limited to, skills, knowledge, training, education, credentials, areas of specialization and depth and scope of experience.