PhD bumble bee host-microbe evolutionary ecology
The Sadd lab in the School of Biological Sciences at Illinois State University is seeking an
exceptional and motivated graduate student (PhD preferred, but MS applications considered)
to study evolutionary and ecological interactions between bumble bees and their beneficial gut
microbes. Successful candidates will develop research projects that complement the aims of a
NIH funded project buidling on ongoing studies investigating bee-microbe interactions, how
host immunity influences these, and fitness relevant outcomes including pathogen infection.
The lab integrates laboratory experiments and field collections with whole-organism,
immunological, microbiological, and functional genomic approaches. More information on the
Sadd Infectious Disease Ecology lab can be found here:
https://faculty.sharepoint.illinoisstate.edu/bmsadd
Competitive applicants will have prior research experience, quantitative skills, the ability to
work independently and as part of a team, and strong oral and written communication abilities.
Applicants with previous experience with the evolutionary ecology of host-microbe
interactions, statistics and data visualization (e.g. R, Python), and analysis of RNAseq or
metagenomic datasets will be preferred.
The position will be funded through a combination of research assistantships on Sadd lab grants
and teaching assistantships provided through the graduate program of the School of Biological
Sciences at Illinois State University. Additionally, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for
their own fellowships, with the NSF pre-doctoral fellowship (www.nsfgrfp.org) being one of the
most appropriate.
A start date of January 2019 is preferred, although candidates for Fall 2019 may be considered.
For initial unofficial consideration, please email pdfs of i) a cover letter stating your research
interest and qualifications, including GRE scores, and ii) your CV including names and contact
details of two references to Dr. Ben Sadd (bmsadd@ilstu.edu) by September 16th. This will
allow time to discuss your research interests and fit with the group before the target date of
October 1st for applications to be in to the University. Please see
https://biology.illinoisstate.edu/graduate/ and tabs therein for general information on our
graduate program in the School of Biological Sciences. Information about the requirements for
official applications to the graduate program can be found here:
https://biology.illinoisstate.edu/graduate/graduatePrograms/applicationProcedure/
Please contact me with any enquires for additional information.
Dr Ben Sadd
Assistant Professor of Infectious Disease Ecology
School of Biological Sciences
Illinois State University
Normal, IL 61790-4120