Post-Doctoral Research Associate in Food Safety Virology

Since our founding in 1785, the University of Georgia has operated as Georgia’s oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education (https://www.uga.edu/). The proof is in our more than 235 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education. UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA employs approximately 3,100 faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 41,000 students including over 31,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 19 schools and colleges, including our newly formed School of Medicine.

Students at UGA-Griffin experience low student-to-faculty ratios, which allows personalized instruction from world-renowned faculty. The many students who work and/or engage in directed research on campus have the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research in on-site labs, thereby gaining real-world experience and developing marketable job skills well before graduation.

University of Georgia founded the Center for Food Safety (CFS) in 1992 to promote food safety and its role in protecting the agricultural system. Since that time, CFS has been a leader of multidisciplinary, innovative research to improve the safety of food. CFS researchers develop ways to detect, control and eliminate harmful microorganisms and their toxins from the food supply.

College/Unit/Department website: https://cfs.caes.uga.edu/

Employment Type: Employee

Anticipated Start Date: 07/11/2022

Posting Date: 07/07/2022

Open Until Filled: Yes

Location of Vacancy: Griffin Area

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Conduct virology research intended to investigate ecology of foodborne viruses on produce and in Ag. water (60%)
• Participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of experiments to study foodborne viruses (10%)
• Coordinate the work of students on the project and oversee final results (10%)
• Analyze and evaluate research results (10%)
• Prepare reports, presentations and manuscripts on the project (10%)

Position Summary: This post-doctoral research associate will conduct virology research intended to investigate ecology of foodborne viruses on produce and in Ag. water. Participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of experiments to study foodborne viruses. Coordinate the work of students on the project and oversee final results. Analyze and evaluate research results. Prepare reports, presentations and manuscripts on the project.

Relevant/Preferred Education, Experience, Licensure, Certification: Ph. D. in Food Safety, Virology, or Biotechnology. Preferred experience in food or veterinary virology research. The successful applicant should have previous experience in cell culture, virus assays and real-time quantitative PCR.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Knowledge of microbial ecology of viruses would be preferred