Post-doctoral position – electrophysiology and olfactory ecology of bark beetles
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, is searching for researcher to a new project, co-financed from the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education “Building up an excellent scientific team and its spatio-technical background focused on mitigation of the impact of climatic changes to forests from the level of gene to the level of landscape at the FFWS CZU Prague”, reg. no. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15_003/0000433, Post-Doctoral Position in “Level G” to work on olfactory ecology of bark beetles.
Background
Insects detect odorants primarily using odorant receptors (OR) imbedded in the dendritic membrane of olfactory sensory neurons within olfactory sensilla. Pioneering studies indicate that insects, detect odorants by more or less specialized (OR) and that a single compound is perceived by a more than one OR in a combinatorial code. Recent characterization of protein families important for chemoreception in bark beetles provides a necessary background for our functional characterization (de-orphanization) of individual ORs. The research in this field will allow to connect the available physiological and ecological knowledge about bark beetles with OR molecular structure. These newly characterized ORs may represent new targets for integrated pest management strategies. Electrophysiological characterization will be performed on bark beetle antennae and on bark beetle ORs expressed in Drosophila using DREAM technique (Deorphanization of Chemosensory Receptors in Drosophila). Responsibilities will predominantly be data collection using SSR (electrophysiological recording from single olfactory sensilla) and GC-SSR (SSR connected with gas chromatography).
Qualifications for the position
- Completed Ph.D. education
- Research experiences of molecular biology and electrophysiology
- Good impact factor publications
- Excellent English communication and writing skills on the level of native speaker.
Key responsibilities
- Research activities within the assigned field
- Participation in further fundraising with senior scientists
- Cooperation with and supervises students of the Research Centre in the field of his/her expertise;
- Publication of results of his/her work in good international journals
- Reporting to level G leader
We offer
- Working on a temporary contract (2 years), but with possibilities of extension.
- Work full-time employment (1.0)
- Salary: 1 300 – 2 000 €, depending on experience (Advantage: Low living expenses in Prague)
- Place of work: Kamýcká 129, 16500 Prague – Suchdol, Czech Rep. (EU)
- Participation in the creation of scientific excellence at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences CZU in Prague, Czech Republic
- Benefits of the CZU employee
- Work in a dynamic, international, cooperative and high professional quality team
The following documents must be documented along with the application:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letter of motivation
- Publication list
- Andersson M, Grosse-Wilde E, Keeling CH I, Bengtsson J.M., Yuen MS, Li M, Hillbur Y, Bohlmann J, Hansson BS and Schlyter F. 2013 Antennal transcriptome analysis of the chemosensory gene families in the tree killing bark beetles, Ips typographus and Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) BMC Genomics 2013 (14):198, DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-198 by the host group.
- Koerte, Sarah & Keesey, Ian & Khallaf, Mohammed & Cortés Llorca, Lucas & Grosse-Wilde, Ewald & Hansson, Bill & Knaden, Markus. (2018). Evaluation of the DREAM Technique for a High-Throughput Deorphanization of Chemosensory Receptors in Drosophila. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.11. 366.10.3389/fnmol.2018.00366
- Grosse Wilde E: Chemoreceptors in Evolution 2017 chapter in book Evolution of nervous system. pp 245-255, DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-804042-3.00021-X
For more information about the position, please contact us:
RNDr. Blanka Kalinová, CSc.
Extemit – K
Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Kamýcká 959
16500 Praha Suchdol
+420 224 383 904
kalinova@fld.czu.cz
https://www.fld.czu.cz/en/