EARLY CAREER POST DOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN FISH EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(Co. Mayo, Ireland)
The School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University
College Cork, is seeking an early career Post-Doctoral researcher to
work in the area of ecology, evolutionary ecology, conservation and
population genetics and specifically on the SFI-DEL Investigators Award
project ‘Wild farmed interactions in a changing world: formulation of
a predictive methodology to inform environmental best practice to secure
long-term sustainability of global wild and farm fish populations’.
This is a multidisciplinary study to exploit novel analytical advances in
population genomics (e.g. NGS; high density SNP arrays; gene expression;
epigenetics) and quantitative genetics (e.g. animal model) to understand
the complex effects of wild-farm hybridisation on the dynamics of
quantitative traits and fitness in wild populations. The study aims to
produce a working eco-genetic model for predicting the adaptive capacity
of hybridised populations to respond to environmental change. The model
can be directly applied to inform the sustainable management and/or
restoration of wild populations in addition to the improvement of
aquaculture strains. In addition we propose to test here several novel
ideas: e.g. (1) the use of a archives and pedigrees in common-garden
and longitudinal studies to examine gene x environment interactions;
(2) identify SNPs as biomarkers linked to metabolic potential; (3) to
study of divergent selection in the farm fish in the wild relative to
their farm progenitors; (4) surveys of gut and skin microbiomes and the
application of assays for comprehensive screening of micro-parasites
in Atlantic salmon. The position is based at the Marine Institute’s
research facility in Newport Co. Mayo, Ireland. The successful candidate
will work closely with project collaborators in Queen’s University
Belfast, University of Glasgow and the Marine Institute.
Useful references:
McGinnity, P., Prodöhl, P., Ferguson, A., Hynes, R., Ó Maoiléidigh,
N., Baker, N., Cotter, D., O’Hea, B., Cooke, D., Rogan, G., Taggart,
J. and Cross, T. 2003. Fitness reduction and potential extinction
of wild populations of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, as a result of
interactions with escaped farm salmon. Proceedings of the Royal Society
B, 270, 2443-2450.
Reed, T.E., Prodöhl, P. A., Hynes, R., Cross, T., Ferguson, A., &
McGinnity, P. (2015). Partitioning sources of variation in freshwater
survival and size-at-age of wild, farmed and hybrid Atlantic salmon
families in the wild. Heredity 115, 173-184 doi:10.1038/hdy.2015.29
Aykanat, T., Johnston, S.E., Cotter, D., Cross, T.F., Poole, R., Prodohl,
P.A., Reed, T., Rogan, G., McGinnity, P., Primmer, C.R. (2014). Molecular
pedigree reconstruction and estimation of evolutionary parameters in
a wild Atlantic salmon river system with incomplete sampling: a power
analysis. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 14 (1).
Llewellyn, M., McGinnity, P., Dionne, M., Letourneau, J., Thonier,
F., Carvalho, G.R., Creer, S., Derome, N. (2015). The biogeography
of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) gut microbiome revealed by deep
sequencing. ISJME doi:10.1038/ismej.2015.189. Informal Enquiries:
Please contact Dr Philip McGinnity (Email: p.mcginnity@ucc.ie)
Applicants must be self?motivated with good numerical, communication,
organisational and writing skills. Experience working with fish in field
settings would be advantageous but not essential; as would molecular
laboratory and/or bioinformatics skills.
Remuneration: €33,975 – €42,394 (IUA Salary Scale)
To apply please send by email a CV, details of 2 referees, and an
accompanying letter of application outlining your relevant experience
to Dr P. McGinnity, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental
Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. E?mail
p.mcginnity@ucc.ie
Dates: Application deadline is 4 November 2016. Start date winter 2016.
Post duration: 4 years
Webpage of PI: http://research.ucc.ie/profiles/D026/pmcginnity
“McGinnity, Philip” <P.McGinnity@ucc.ie>