PhD Positions in the Wolfe lab @ Tufts University

PhD Positions in the Wolfe lab @ Tufts University, Medford, MA (Boston
Area), USA
Ecology and evolution of microbes in food systems

The Wolfe lab in the Department of Biology at Tufts University is seeking
several Ph.D. students to join the lab in the Fall of 2015. Our lab studies
the ecology and evolution of microbial communities, using tractable
microbial communities isolated from food (cheese, salami, and other
fermented foods) as model systems. Our work spans taxonomic boundaries (we
study both prokaryotes and eukaryotes) and integrates a wide variety of
techniques including experimental evolution, metagenomics, comparative
genomics/transcriptomics, genome engineering, and in situ community
reconstructions. Our research questions are strongly anchored in basic
biology, but our work will help address emerging issues in human health and
food security.

Current research in the lab is aimed at linking ecological and evolutionary
patterns in microbial communities with the molecular mechanisms that
generate these patterns. What are the molecular mechanisms that govern
species distributions or community-level traits? How do these mechanisms
evolve within a community and what are the consequences of trait evolution
within microbial communities? We are particularly interested in exploring
these questions with a focus on bacterial-fungal interactions.

The Wolfe lab is based in a brand new open lab space associated with the
Tufts University Medford Campus. In addition to diverse research being
conducted in the Department of Biology that spans the entire breadth of
biology (http://ase.tufts.edu/biology/), the Sackler School of Graduate
Biomedical Sciences at the Tufts Medical School has an outstanding group of
microbiologists (http://bit.ly/WDvgqA). There are also numerous potential
collaborators and resources at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and
the Cummings School of Vet Medicine. A new university-wide initiative, the
Tufts Institute for Innovation, is providing resources to support
interdisciplinary research projects that explore how microbes can improve
the environment and the human condition (http://bit.ly/1niy6Ix). The
academic community in the Greater Boston Area has an unprecedented
collective wealth of resources in microbiology, ecology, and evolution.

Applicants should have a background in ecology, evolution, molecular
biology, mycology, and/or microbiology. Ideal candidates would also have a
strong interest in the biology of food systems. Our work has incredible
potential for science outreach and education, and members of my lab will be
encouraged to communicate their science through social media, writing, and
public outreach events. Students will be provided ample training for
postgraduate work in academia, but I will strongly support professional
development to help graduate students become leaders in industry,
agriculture, and other non-academic career paths.

A formal lab website is in production. In the meantime, candidates should
check out my personal website (www.benjaminewolfe.com) for an overview of
my past and current research and teaching activities.

Interested candidates should contact Benjamin Wolfe via email
(benjamin.wolfe@tufts.edu) to explain their past research
experience/interests and why they might be a good fit for the lab.
Information on the Tufts Department of Biology Graduate Program,
including graduate admissions deadlines, can be found here:
http://ase.tufts.edu/biology/graduate/

bewolfe@gmail.com