The Kennedy lab (https://sites.psu.edu/KennedyLab/) at Penn State is seeking up to two Postdoctoral Scholars to work on an NIH-funded project studying the ecological and evolutionary consequences of vaccination. This work will primarily focus on Marek's disease virus, a chicken pathogen that is one of the best studied cases of vaccine-driven evolution. In this system, vaccines have twice driven the simultaneous evolution of pathogen virulence and vaccine escape requiring modifications to the vaccines. The successful applicants will lead projects integrating mathematical models with experimental, genomic, and surveillance data to explore the ecological and evolutionary consequences of the current "Rispen's" vaccine, a self-disseminating (i.e. transmissible) vaccine. The successful candidates will work with collaborators at Penn State and the Pirbright Institute to work on existing projects and to push the research in new directions according to their interests.

The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in a relevant field (such as evolutionary biology, ecology, mathematics, statistics, epidemiology, public health, bioinformatics, genomics, virology), a strong interest in evolutionary biology, and a history of productivity. Experience with mathematical modeling is an advantage.

Applicants should submit a cover letter describing their research experience and how these experiences relate to the position, a CV, and contact information for three references. For more information, please email David Kennedy (dak30@psu.edu) or visit (sites.psu.edu/kennedylab).
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. This is a limited-term appointment funded for one year from date of hire, with possibility of refunding.

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