Location(s)
A Postdoctoral position is available in the Department of Entomology (Director: Prof. David G. Heckel) at the Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena/Germany (http://www.ice.mpg.de/hec/home/home_en.htm?mp=134). The institute is international in character, with English the daily scientific language.
We aim at establishing herbivore model systems of economic importance to study physiological, molecular, evolutionary and genetic adaptations to host plant compounds and insecticides in the field. We are interested in identifying large-scale physiological changes of Lepidopteran larvae exposed to plant secondary metabolites with custom microarrays to identify toxin-induced genes, general detoxification mechanisms and a correlation of plant-derived factors with specific insect
counterdefenses (e.g. detoxification, coping with oxidative stress) in several Lepidoptera. Identification and verification of candidate genes by heterologous expression, biochemical characterizations, evolutionary analysis within and between species will be followed by manipulation of these in insects (transformation and RNAi). Candidates should have the following: A PhD in genetics, genomics, biochemistry or a related field. Drive and motivation to solve difficult scientific problems. Good communication/interpersonal skills, good experimental skills and thorough experience in molecular biology or evolutionary biology. A background in the application of bioinformatic methods to genome studies and/or microarray analysis or biochemistry would be a competitive advantage. E-mail inquiries are welcome to Heiko Vogel (hvogel[at]ice.mpg.de). Applications (preferably by e-mail) should include cover letter, CV, names and contact info for 2 references, pdf's of two most significant publications or manuscripts. Review will begin February 2008, and will continue until the position is filled.
