U of I Graduate Assistantship

An interdisciplinary, Ph.D. graduate student assistantship is available at the University of Idaho. This assistantship will be funded through a joint NSF/USDA program on Microbial Genome Sequencing. The program direction for this assistantship will be Complete Sequence and Diversity of the Potato Virus Y Complex, with an emphasis on virus-host interactions, recombination and evolution. This assistantship will require close interactions with a research team of computational biologists and virologists in University of Idaho and Cornell University, and will be based in Moscow, ID, at the main campus. The research goal is to elucidate mechanisms of symptom induction, survival, recombination, and evolution of PVY and further preliminary work on a PVY sequencing project. Responsibilities would include: 1) Collection and characterization of PVY isolates from the U.S. and other parts of the world; 2) Sequencing genomes of approximately 1,500 PVY isolates from the laboratory collection; 3) Bioinformatics analysis of virus genome sequences; 4) Development of new, and improvement of available methods of PVY detection, and strain differentiation; 5) Developing and addressing additional questions related to the theme of the study as part of the dissertation research; 6) Analyzing results using appropriate computer programs; 7) Writing papers for publication; and 8) Presenting experimental results at meetings. Qualifications sought: 1) Knowledge of basic molecular laboratory practices; 2) Knowledge of cloning procedures, RNA/DNA extraction; 3) Knowledge of plant virology is a plus; 4) Experience with reverse transcription-PCR, primer design, and sequencing is a plus; 5) Knowledge of bioinformatics and computational biology is a plus; 6) Good written/oral communication skills. Successful candidate must satisfy the University of Idaho Graduate School requirements. A stipend of approximately $22,500 per year (with a yearly cost of living adjustment) will be available for 3 years. Please contact Dr. Alexander Karasev for additional information: 208-885-2350 (phone); akarasev@uidaho.edu.