Postdoc and PhD Student Position in Genetics / Genomics / Bioinformatics, Germany

Within a project for the “Marker assisted selection of Varroa-tolerant honey bees” there are two vacancies for scientific staff (payment is based on German pay scale for public employees, TV-L Ost E 13 and TV-L Ost E 13/2, respectively). The positions are available from the 1st of December 2008, the contract duration being 3 years. The availability of the positions is subject to the final approval of the project by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection,.

In a first project phase, with the help of a microsatellite-based procedure, regions of the honey bee genome which are responsible for the detection and removal of Varroa-infested pupae from brood cells could be identified. Within the posted project a fine-mapping of the relevant genome regions and an isolation of possible candidate genes is to be carried out by applying SNP analysis. In addition, a concept concerning genomic selection for disease resistance in honey bees is to be established.

Job description, Post Doc Position (TV-L Ost, E 13)
Steering the team including one doctoral candidate and a technical staff member. Coordination of studies on the hygienic behaviour of honeybee workers towards Varroa-infested brood cells and establishing microarray based SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) analysis.

Requirements:
- University degree and PhD in biology/biochemistry /agriculture or veterinary medicine.
- Comprehensive understanding of the application of methods in molecular genetics and bioinformatics.
- Cooperation with other groups of the house and various cooperation partners.
- Proactive individual, team player, good organisational skills.

Job description, PhD Student position (TV-L Ost, E 13/2)
Development of theoretical fundamentals and practical application of genomic selection in the honey bee.

Requirements:
- University degree in bioinformatics/biology/agriculture or veterinary medicine.
- Strong background in statistics and bioinformatics.
- Profound understanding of molecular biology.
- Thorough knowledge of array technology and of the establishment of data banks.

Applications including the usual documents will be considered until the 15th of November 2008 and should be sent to:

Laenderinstitut fuer Bienenkunde Hohen Neuendorf e.V.
Prof. Dr. K. Bienefeld
Friedrich Engels Str. 32, 16540 Hohen Neuendorf
northern peripheral area of Berlin)
E-Mail: Kaspar.Bienefeld[ at ]rz.hu-berlin.de,
Internet: www.honigbiene.de
Phone: +49 (0)3303/2938-30.