Summary:
The Department of Microbiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), in collaboration with the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB), is inviting applications for a postdoctoral researcher position. This exciting opportunity focuses on investigating the impacts of long-term climate change on soil microbial communities and their functional dynamics. The position offers access to cutting-edge facilities and interdisciplinary collaborations, with a focus on soil microbial metagenomics and its application to environmental processes.
Postdoctoral Researcher in Soil Microbial Metagenomics and Climate Change, USA
Designation: Postdoctoral Researcher
Research Area: Soil Microbial Metagenomics, Climate Change, Environmental Microbiology
Location: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Urbana, IL, USA
Eligibility/Qualification:
- PhD in microbiology, microbial ecology, bioinformatics, environmental science, or a related field (candidates expecting to defend before the start date are welcome to apply).
- Strong publication record.
- Experience in metagenomics, bioinformatics, microbial ecology, and/or computational biology is highly desirable.
- Familiarity with genome binning, MAG reconstruction, long-read sequencing, and epigenetics analysis is a plus.
- Strong organizational and communication skills.
- Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams.
- Proficiency in written and spoken English.
Job Description:
The postdoctoral researcher will:
- Investigate the impacts of long-term climate change on soil microbial communities.
- Use metagenomic sequencing and analysis to understand microbial diversity and ecosystem processes.
- Work with genome-resolved metagenomics (MAG reconstruction, binning, and annotation).
- Utilize long-read sequencing and epigenomics to characterize DNA methylation and regulatory mechanisms.
- Integrate multi-omics datasets (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, etc.) to analyze microbial functions.
- Apply artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to analyze large-scale environmental datasets.
- Collaborate with leading research groups, including the Institute for Environmental Genomics (IEG) and the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), benefiting from extensive multi-omics datasets and high-performance computational resources.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should:
- Contact Wei Qin (weiqin@illinois.edu) for informal inquiries.
- Submit the following materials to the same email address:
- A cover letter (max. 1 page) outlining your research interests and relevant experience.
- Your CV, including contact details for two references.
- A copy of your PhD degree certificate (or expected defense date).
Last Date for Apply: July 15, 2026
Start Date: September 1, 2026
For further details or inquiries, please reach out to Wei Qin at the provided email address.
