The State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart (SMNS) is one of the most important research museums in Germany and holds a particularly large collection of fungi. It conducts collection based research in the fields of Systematics, Taxonomy, Biodiversity and Evolution. As an integrated research museum, the SMNS delivers an essential contribution towards a deeper understanding of complex biological phenomena und a broad range of engagement opportunities for all citizens.
Project description:
FunDive (https://fun-dive.eu/) is a joint project funded via the Biodiversa+ program of the EU-Commision with the objective to make diversity, distribution patterns and ecosystem functions of fungi more visibly embedded in research and conservation programs, and to integrate activities of scientists at universities and research museums with those of Citizen Scientists. The overarching project FunDive is structured in six Work Packages (WPs). At the SMNS our focus is on the delivery of tasks within WP1 (Sequencing of type specimens and annotation of Species Hypotheses in the database UNITE) and (to a lesser degree) WP3 (Citizen Science) and WP4 (eDNA). At the SMNS we work with „Makromycetes“ (focus on Agaricales/Basidiomycota) and also with lichenised fungi (focus on Verrucariales/Ascomycota).
Tasks:
We are looking for an enthusiastic scientist to support our work at the SMNS (with an emphasis on the sequencing of type material from our collections and collaborating other German Fungaria). The person should have a good understanding of mycological species concepts, should enjoy troubleshooting in the laboratory, and solving taxonomical challenges, and be prepared to interact with Citizen Scientists, e.g. managing in- and outgoing loans of specimens and derivatives (eg. DNA-extractions). The jobholder will carry out PCRs for Sanger-Sequencing in-house, for NGS-approaches we are collaborating with other partners in the FunDive-consortium. The tasks for the jobholder will be embedded in the joint-up activities of an international consortium with partners in 15 European countries. They will form the basis for DNA-based approaches (incl. eDNA) for surveying and monitoring of fungi at a continental scale and contribute to the development of tools for successful measures to preserve their diversity.
The Scientist / PostDoc will work in the Botany Department of the SMNS under the guidance of PI Dr. Holger Thüs, Co-PI is Dr. Ursula Eberhardt (focus on the taxonomy of Agaricales).
Requirements:
- Completed university degree in Biology with a focus on taxonomy (Master, Diploma or equivalent) and completed PhD, ideally in the field of mycology
- Proven experience in the use of Sanger-Sequencing for solving taxonomic problems in fungi (either Macromyzetes, lichenised fungi, or both)
- Advanced knowledge of the diversity of Central European Macromycetes or Lichens (or both)
- Fluency in written and spoken English
- Good IT skills
- Experience and willingness to carry out independent fieldwork if necessary
Desirable:
- Experience of working in research projects involving Next Generation Sequencing techniques
- Experience with handling of natural history collections
- Team player, organisational skills and flexibility
- Ability to communicate in German is an advantage for interactions with Citizen Scientists
Our offer:
- The opportunity to continue your career at an internationally renowned research facility with state of the art equipment
- Collaborative work within a team of taxonomic experts in the fields of Agaricales and lichenized fungi
- Research in an international and multidisciplinary network
- Attractive workplace in the Center of Stuttgart
- Monthly subsidy for public transportation (JobTicket BW)
- Flexible worktime pattern with family friendly working hours
Salary will follow E13 TV-L (German Civil Service Scale for Scientists), fulltime (39,5 h/week). The position is intended to be filled as soon as possible, and is limited for 1 year with 100% regular working hours per week. It is possible to convert the position to 50% of the weekly working hours and to thereby extend its duration to 2 years.
Scientists are encouraged to submit their electronic application in a single PDF, max 5 MB with cover letter, CV and relevant certificates to postdoc.bot(at)smns-bw.de. Closing date for the submission of applications is 08.09.2024. Interviews are planned for September 16, 2024.
For further information please contact Dr. Holger Thüs, Tel. +49-(0)711/8936-175.
The SMNS promotes equal opportunities for its employees and therefore welcomes applications from all people regardless of their gender, cultural and social background, age, religion, ideology, disability or sexual identity. As the promotion of equality between women and men is of particular concern to us, we expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Severely disabled applicants will be given preference if equally qualified.
Information on data protection law for applicants can be found on our homepage under “Jobs”.