A Postdoctoral position in bioinformatics is available in the
Aquaculture Division, Department of Genetics, Stellenbosch University
with the project title "Genetic improvement of the abalone Haliotis
midae."
Haliotis midae, known locally as 'perlemoen', occurs along the Western,
Southern and Eastern shores of South Africa and is the only one of the
six species that occurs in South Africa that is commercially exploited.
H. midae displays a very slow growth rate, taking two to five years to
reach market size. This is an obstacle in the profitable farming and
global competitiveness of this species. In order to increase the
productivity and the profitability of the commercial activity, a
research program has been designed that makes use of the modern
technology currently applied to other aquaculture species. One of the
outputs of the project is to produce a transcriptome sequence of
Haliotis midae using the Illumina Genome Analysis platform.
The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for bioinformatic
data analysis within this framework. This will include developing an
in-depth understanding of tailored analytical software packages for EST,
transcriptome and gene expression analysis to both conduct research and
provide postgraduate students with bioinformatics support; keeping
abreast of new developments in the areas of bioinformatics,
transcriptome analysis and abalone research; the input of data into and
maintenance of a comprehensive sample tracking system; assisting
laboratory staff and students with their research data output
requirements.
Minimum requirements: PhD with specialization in Biotechnology,
Bioinformatics, Genetics, Genomics or a closely related discipline.
Candidates should have a strong computational background (DNA sequence
analysis, phylogenetic analysis and gene expression data analysis) and
proficiency in relevant software packages.
Recommended requirements: Project management experience; excellent
organizational and communication skills; proven ability to set deadlines
and meet milestones; a desire to work as an effective member of a
growing team.
The position is available for 2 years (January 2009 - December 2010)
Interested researchers are requested to send their CV to Dr. Rouvay
Roodt-Wilding at roodt from sun.ac.za
Closing date: 10 October 2008.
