We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to develop phylogenomic methods to predict the risk of viral emergence. Anticipating viral emergence before it occurs creates revolutionary possibilities for reducing the risk of infectious disease through preemptive intervention. The researcher will work to develop tools to identify the genomic signature of adaptation to novel hosts within the context of Lassa virus, a hemorrhagic fever widespread throughout West Africa that regularly spills into the human population but has yet to produce sustained human-to-human transmission. The postdoctoral researcher will work with Drs. Scott Nuismer and Chris Remien at the University of Idaho as part of a large multi-national collaboration focused on predicting the risk of viral emergence and preempting it using wildlife vaccines capable of limited self-dissemination. Although this position is based at the University of Idaho, arrangements for remote work are possible.
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in evolutionary biology and population genetics and be comfortable programming in R, Python, or C++. Prior experience working on infectious disease is not required; fresh diverse perspectives from any area of computational evolutionary biology are welcome. We anticipate this position becoming available as soon as April and being initially for one year with an opportunity for renewal.