A Postdoctoral position is offered at Aix-Marseille University in population genomics focusing on the role of adaptive introgression for the persistence of marine and terrestrial biodiversity in a context of coastal pollution by past industrial activities. The project HYAM (for “Hybridization and Adaptation in a Mediterranean coastal city”) is funded by the A*Midex foundation and will start in 2024. A summary of the project is given below. HYAM is led by Alex Baumel (IMBE laboratory) and Didier Aurelle (MIO laboratory) and brings together several teams offering rich and enthusiastic collaborations at the frontiers of evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation of biodiversity.
Activities: The selected candidate will be responsible for assembling whole genomes of several species (plants and gorgonians) and screening their diversity to detect introgression and selection marks. The raw genomic data will be partially acquired, allowing the analyses to start as soon as the contract begins. The candidate is also expected to contribute to the supervision of Master and PhD students and to scientific popularization during workshops on conservation issues related to the project with naturalists and conservationists. The project will involve a collaboration with the Calanques National Park. The candidate will beneficiate of an initial phase of environmental characterization and assessment of the genetic diversity structure of the studied organisms, and of the supports of high-performance computing and molecular biology facilities in the OSU Pytheas and at IMBE and MIO.
Requirements for the position: The candidate must have a strong background in bioinformatics and population genomics. Experience in the analysis of whole genome data and evolution by hybridization would be an advantage. The candidate must be fluent in written and spoken English. The candidate must not have completed his last degree at Aix-Marseille University.
Contract: The initial contract is for 12 months with the possibility of renewal up to a maximum of 36 months. The salary will depend of the candidate experience. The expected starting date is the 1 October 2024.
Application must be sent to hyam@osupytheas.fr with CV, covering letter, list of publications, and the email of two referees, from April 1st and no later than June 1st. The selection of candidates will be carried out by a committee from the HYAM project and based on CVs and interviews by videoconference and possibly in person.
For informal information, please contact:
Alex Baumel (alex.baumel@imbe.fr) and Didier Aurelle (didier.aurelle@mio.osupytheas.fr).
HYAM abstract: Urban sprawl blurs the boundaries between anthropised and natural environments. In Marseille, this new ecology is very marked in the terrestrial and marine environments of the coastline. The effects of anthropogenic constraints on evolutionary and speciation phenomena are still overlooked. Hybridization may play a major role in the capacity to adapt to these new environments. We propose to explore the genetic limits and exchanges between species to understand the biological evolution in a littoral zone within a large Mediterranean city and its periphery. We will study terrestrial plants (Teucrium spp.) and marine sessile animals (Eunicella spp.) which have in common that they are caught in the same spiral of alteration of their environment by urbanization and pollution. In both cases, we will consider the evolution of three taxa. We will produce reference genomes that will then be used for genotyping and characterization of neutral and adaptive genetic diversity. Along pollution gradients, we will assess the demographic trend (stable or regressive populations) and look for adaptive markers and their link with hybridization. We will thus aim to understand the role of inter-specific exchanges in the evolutionary response of species to anthropogenic constraints, recent on an evolutionary scale. The results will be useful for the management of coastline marine and terrestrial ecosystems in the context of a national park.
Web sites:
A*Midex : https://www.univ-amu.fr/en/public/excellence-initiative
IMBE : https://www.imbe.fr/
MIO: https://www.mio.osupytheas.fr/
OSU Pytheas : https://www.osupytheas.fr/
Didier Aurelle: https://didier-aurelle.pedaweb.univ-amu.fr/
Alex Baumel: https://www.imbe.fr/alex-baumel.html
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