Career Center

The Farcuh Lab housed within the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland, College Park has an immediate opening for a highly motivated candidate to fill a postdoctoral associate position with focus on understanding how novel preharvest and postharvest practices impact apple fruit quality (color, texture and flavor) and nutritional value improvement, as well as development of physiological disorders. While the position is focused on apples, the postdoctoral work might include other fruit trees. The position requires a self-driven individual with strong plant science laboratory experience and field background. The ideal candidate will have experience in integrating multidisciplinary approaches such as biology, molecular biology/transcriptomics, biochemistry, metabolomics/ analytical chemistry, and physiology. Expertise in transcriptome and metabolome of plant hormones biosynthesis and signaling pathways is highly desired.

Duties and Responsibilities include

1. Assisting faculty researchers and other collaborators, or acting independently, in planning and designing research experiments, establishing priorities and recommending timelines and costs.
2. Developing, performing, and/or monitoring sampling, storage and extraction procedures for targeted and untargeted metabolic profiling of fruit tissue, and subsequent analyses.
3. Conducting fruit transcriptomics (RNA-seq) and targeted gene expression analysis (qRT-PCR).
4. Developing, performing, and/or monitoring sampling, storage and extraction procedures for biochemical analyses of fruit tissue (protein extraction and quantification, and enzymatic assays).
5. Operation and maintenance of specialized scientific equipment (GC, GC-MS, HPLC, LC-MS, etc).
6. Conduct measurements of fruit quality physicochemical analyses.
7. Planning, preparation and execution of fruit sensory experiments and consequent analysis.
8. Performing statistical analysis, including selecting appropriate analysis procedure, setting up data for analysis, judging validity and reliability of data, designing and writing programs to perform analysis, and producing written reports on the results of the analysis and interpretation.
9. Liaison with other UMD Departments, outside collaborators and others to ensure project success.
10. Preparing and publishing peer-reviewed journal articles, present at scientific meetings, seminars, workshops, and assist with the coordination of data for extension/outreach materials.
11. Supervising and training graduate assistants, student employees and/or staff.
12. Engaging in fieldwork and writing of technical publications and reports to stakeholders, participating in field days, and additional extension events.
13. Opportunities to develop grantsmanship skills will be provided.

Qualifications

1. 1. Ph.D. in plant science, plant biology, plant physiology, plant biochemistry, horticulture, food science, or another related field of study.
   2. Expertise in fruit biology, molecular biology/transcriptomics, biochemistry, metabolomics, sensory science.
   3. Strong data processing and statistical analysis skills, including well-developed experience with R and interdisciplinary data integration.
   4. Demonstrated ability to write and publish papers.
   5. Willingness to collaborate and demonstrated ability to communicate effectively across disciplines.
   6. Excellent oral and written communication skills as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications, extension work, and conference presentations.
   7. Demonstrated excellent research capabilities required to carry out innovative/insightful research
   8. Ability to work independently, as well as in a team, to perform multidisciplinary projects and have critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Application/ How to apply

Provide CV, transcripts of all degrees earned, cover letter, copies of 2 recent publications, and names and contact information of 3-4 references familiar with your work to Dr. Macarena Farcuh (e-mail: mfarcuh@umd.edu).