The Meek Lab is often looking for motivated PhD and MS students, postdoctoral scholars, research technicians, and undergraduate researchers. See announcements below. Please check out the research page for descriptions of some of the major projects happening in the lab, and have a look at our publications to get an idea of the type of research we do. If these ideas interest you, please email me to start a conversation (mhmeek@msu.edu). I’m excited to hear from you.
The Meek lab strives to be a safe space for diversity in STEM.
I take graduate students through both the Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program and the Department of Integrative Biology.
Postdoctoral opportunity in conservation biology and population genomics
The Meek Lab at Michigan State University is looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral scholar to study population and conservation genomics in Chinook salmon. The Meek lab uses field studies and next-generation sequencing to address fundamental ecological questions that are directly relevant to the conservation and management of threatened species. We study biodiversity at the level of genotype up to phenotype. The focus of this position will be to serve as the lead on a newly funded study aimed at improving our ability to protect life history trait diversity in Chinook salmon. We will use high-throughput sequencing to genotype thousands of historical juvenile Chinook salmon samples, and then combine this information with environmental data to evaluate the relationship between environmental conditions, genetic diversity, and life history traits.
Please look at our website (meeklab.com) to get a more complete picture of the work we do. The post-doc will have the opportunity to work on one or several of the ongoing projects in the lab, based on interest and fit. There is also potential for developing new projects, based on the candidate’s interests. We are a very interactive lab and are looking for an excellent scientist, who cares about conservation, and is a good collaborator. The Meek lab strives to be a safe space and support diversity in STEM.
The initial hire is for one year with an additional year of funding contingent upon satisfactory progress. The position will be based in the Department of Integrative Biology at Michigan State University. Start date is negotiable and position is open until filled.
*Qualifications*
Applicants should have a PhD in ecology, evolution, genetics, bioinformatics, or related fields. We are looking for a creative and talented scientist with a good publication record and excellent organizational and communication skills. We are especially interested in candidates with a strong bioinformatics background and previous experience with next-generation sequencing data analysis. Experience working in the Unix environment is essential and familiarity with one or several programming languages is highly desirable.
*How to apply*
Interested candidates should apply through the MSU Applicant Page at http://www.careers.msu.edu/cw/en-us/job/501447/research-associatefixed-term. Please feel free to email (mhmeek@msu.edu) before applying to ask questions, but DO NOT SEND APPLICATION TO DR. MEEK, YOU MUST APPLY ONLINE. Required application material:
1) Brief cover letter describing research interests and motivation
2) CV
3) Names and email addresses for 3 references
4) 2-3 published papers or manuscripts in preparation
Bioinformatician at MSU
Several faculty in the Department of Integrative Biology at Michigan State University are looking to collectively hire a highly motivated bioinformatician/computational scientist with a biology background for a full time position. Typical research projects will use RNA-sequencing, RAD-sequencing, whole genome sequencing and assembly, and targeted capture sequencing to address questions in ecology, evolution, comparative genomics, and developmental biology. We are looking for an enthusiastic and organized individual to join our team, who is skilled at working for multiple people and on different projects. The position will be based in East Lansing, MI on the MSU campus and comes with a competitive benefits package.
Primary duties will include:
- Curating sequence data (10%)
- Analyzing sequence data (65%)
- Producing tables and figures and writing data analysis methods and results (10%)
- Mentoring students on bioinformatics methods (10%)
- Reading scientific literature to stay up to date on newest analysis methods (5%)
Required Qualifications:
The job requires knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree in bioinformatics or related field and up to six months of related and progressively more responsible or expansive bioinformatics experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. The candidate should be well-versed in unix/linux, as well as at least one other programming language (e.g. R, python, perl). Applicants should have extensive experience analyzing large ‘–omic’ datasets.
Desired Qualifications:
A Master’s or PhD degree in bioinformatics or related field. Experience in at least some of the following key areas:
- Analyzing complex RNA-seq experimental data sets for differential gene expression
- Analyzing RAD-seq datasets—aligning to reference and creating de novo assemblies, SNP discovery, genotyping, etc.
- Genome assembly and annotation
- Genome comparisons
- Phylogenomics
- Epigenomics
How to apply
Interested candidates should email Dr. Mariah Meek (mhmeek@msu.edu), with “Bioinformatics position” in the subject line.
Required applicant materials:
1) Brief cover letter describing research and data analysis experience and career goals
2) CV
3) Names and email addresses for 3 references
