An MS or PhD graduate position in conservation genomics is available to
study fine-scale population genomic structure of the rare Californian
endemic, Torrey Pine with Jill Hamilton at North Dakota State University,
Fargo, North Dakota in collaboration with Sean Hoban (The Morton Arboretum,
Lisle, IL) starting January 2017.
Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana Parry) in one of the rarest pines in the world,
restricted to two populations, a mainland grove of approximately 3400 trees
just north of San Diego and an island population of approximately 2000 trees
on Santa Rosa Island, one of the Channel Islands (nearly 300 km away). This
project will evaluate the fine-scale genomic structure of natural
populations using RAD-seq, comparing mainland and island population and
assess the status of genetic variation captured within an ex situ seed
collection. There is plenty of room to pursue particular questions of
interest depending on the interest and experience of the candidate.
This interdisciplinary research will combine genomic, spatial and
environmental datasets to ground-truth an ex situ seed collection and
investigate genetic connectivity at a fine-scale. This project will involve
substantial collaboration with tree scientists at the Morton Arboretum in
Lisle, IL (outside of Chicago) and is part of a large collaborative network
to conserve Torrey pine between the US Forest Service, National Park
Service, California State Parks, San Diego Zoo, and North Dakota State
University.
The ideal graduate student will be independent, organized and a problem
solver. Ideally the student will have some experience in lab bench work,
molecular ecology/population genetics, and/or bioinformatics for genomic
data analyses, and be prepared to conduct some field-based research in a
collaborative environment.
For more information on the Hamilton Lab please visit the lab website at:
http://www.jillahamilton.com and more information on the Department of
Biological Sciences at NDSU at https://www.ndsu.edu/biology/. Fargo
is the largest city in the northern Midwest and as the =91Gateway to the West=92
is a vibrant, growing community that has access to numerous outdoor
opportunities for all seasons. Short visits (one week to one month) will
be hosted at the Morton Arboretum (http://www.mortonarb.org/) in Lisle,
Illinios, with Dr. Sean Hoban as primary host
(http://www.mortonarb.org/science-conservation/scientists-and-staff/sean-hoban).
Interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Hamilton
(jill.hamilton@ndsu.edu). Please include a brief description of your
research interests, a writing sample and a CV in your email. This position
is fully-funded and includes an annual salary, a tuition waiver and is open
to US students or international students.