Postdoctoral Fellow

Job Posting Title:

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Hiring Department:

Department of Marine Science

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Sep 01, 2025

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Sep 01, 2026

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Location:

PORT ARANSAS, TX

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Job Details:

General Notes

The University of Texas Marine Science Institute mission is to advance scientific knowledge of coastal and blue-water oceans through rigorous research, teaching, and public outreach. This includes improving understanding of the marine environment, educating a global population dependent on the ocean ecosystem, and fostering knowledge and stewardship of coastal areas. This position is located in Port Aransas, Texas.

Background on the research project:

Marine sediments are the largest organic carbon sink on Earth and play a crucial role in the regulation of Earth’s atmospheric gas composition and climate. While many factors influence the fate of sedimentary organic carbon, the drivers behind the incomplete breakdown and long-term storage of organic carbon in sediments are not understood. Major reasons are lack of research integration across the fields of sedimentology, geochemistry, and microbiology, and general use of destructive, extraction-based methods that are designed for the analysis of large sediment samples. These bulk methods are quantitative but produce limited insight into the micron- and submicron-scale context within which the fate of sedimentary organic carbon is ultimately determined. The central aim of this project is to develop Single-Particle Raman-Assisted Metagenomics (SPRAM) as a new tool that will enable scientists to integrate the fields of sedimentology, geochemistry, and microbiology and study the carbon cycle at the scale of single sedimentary particles. The development of SPRAM may provide a crucial step toward a mechanistic understanding of why certain components of sedimentary organic carbon pools are microbially metabolized, while others evade microbial breakdown and contribute to Earth’s largest organic carbon sink.

The position is for a postdoctoral scientist and comes with initial funding for two years as well as part-time technician support.

Responsibilities

• Design of protocols for the integrated Raman spectroscopic and Epifluorescence microscopic study of (isotopically labeled) sediment microorganisms.
• Cultivation and enrichment of anaerobic microorganisms from marine sediments using stable isotope labeled carbon substrates.
• Design of a method for the extraction and amplification of DNA from single sedimentary particles.
• Metagenomic analyses of microbial populations from single sedimentary particles.
• Design of protocols for the optical tweezer-based isolation of single sedimentary particles for downstream DNA extraction, sequencing, and potentially cultivation.
• Assistance with the establishment of Oxford Nanopore DNA sequencing technology and implementation of a bioinformatics pipelines for the routine analysis of amplicon and long-read DNA sequences obtained by Nanopore sequencing
• Analysis of metagenomic and amplicon sequencing DNA data.
• Writing and publication of manuscripts on newly developed methodologies and their experimental outcomes.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in marine, microbiological, molecular biological, chemical, geological, engineering, or other environmental science field, earned within the last 3 years.
• Prior experience in epifluorescence microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and/or microbial cultivation.
• Strong academic track record and/or demonstrated high level of research productivity and output.
• Demonstrated interest and experience in methodological development and method optimization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong background in bioinformatics and programming languages (e.g., R, Python, Linux).
• Record of interdisciplinary research across the biological, chemical, or geological sciences.
• Academic background(s) or research experience in aquatic microbiology, microbial physiology, biogeochemistry, organic geochemistry, or sedimentology.
• Prior experience working as part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers.
• Prior experience in the mentorship of undergraduate and/or graduate students

Salary Range

$58,774

Working Conditions

• · May work around chemical fumes.
• · May work around standard office conditions.
• · May work around chemicals.
• · May work around electrical and mechanical hazards
• · Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.
• · Use of manual dexterity.
• · Climbing of stairs.
• · Lifting and moving.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

The review of applications will begin on July 15, 2025

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.