We seek a talented and dedicated post-doctoral researcher with a background in computational biology, phylogenetics and bioinformatics, to analyze experimental and field data for virus infections in pigs (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus - PRRSV), and to develop phylodynamic models on the effects of partial immunity on virus transmission, evolution, and multi-strain dynamics. This position is part of the international collaborative project funded by a USDA-NSF-NIH Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) grant. The position will be supervised by Dr. Kim VanderWaal, but will involve working within a large team of scientists both at the University of Minnesota and the University of Edinburgh.

This project involves both analyzing micro-evolutionary patterns using NGS data from infected pigs with different immune backgrounds, and macro-evolutionary patterns using existing large-scale sequence datasets. Phylodynamic modeling will be coupled with detailed spatial, animal movement, and immunity-related data to help quantify how cross-immunity and population connectivity influence co-circulation of strains and fitness of variants. PRRSV causes one of the most important pig diseases worldwide, so there is great interest in effective control measures.

employment.umn.edu, job number: 339329