Postdoctoral Associate - Microbiology

Posted: 16-Jul-26 • Location: Ithaca, New York • Type: Full-time

About the role

A postdoctoral associate position is available in the laboratory of Heather Feaga at Cornell University for a highly motivated candidate to study the role of ribosome quality control in the model spore-forming bacterium Bacillus subtilis. The candidate will develop a research project to understand how translation stress impacts cell development. The postdoctoral associate will have the ability to develop an independent research project in any of several areas relevant to this topic, and to explore multiple lines of research in parallel. Most projects employ a combination of bacterial genetics, high throughput genetic screens, biochemistry, and ribosome profiling (ribo-seq). The candidate will also have the opportunity to develop a small outreach project through an ongoing collaboration with the Ithaca Sciencenter.

Anticipated Division of Time

• Data collection, analysis, and interpretation (70%) – The postdoctoral associate will design, execute, and interpret all experiments related to the project in collaboration with other lab members and collaborators.
• Writing of scientific papers (10%) – The postdoctoral associate is expected to become an expert in the relevant literature and contribute new ideas and insights to advance the project. They will work collaboratively to prepare manuscripts for publication.
• Supervision (10%) – The postdoctoral associate will participate in general lab management, help train graduate and undergraduate students, and assist other lab members when needed.
• Communication (5%) – The postdoctoral associate will present results at scientific conferences and through meetings with both internal and external collaborators.
• Public Outreach (5%) – The Feaga Lab maintains a collaboration with the Ithaca Sciencenter, a hands-on science museum. The postdoctoral associate will host science workshops at the Ithaca Sciencenter and help facilitate participation of first-year graduate students in hosting workshops.

Requirements

• Ph.D. at time of appointment in biochemistry, molecular microbiology, or a related field and relevant research experience.
• Motivation to pursue development of an independent future academic research program.
• Experience in bacterial genetics and molecular biology techniques.
• Desire to participate in a collaborative research program with frequent opportunities for mentorship and public outreach.
• Experience with bioinformatics or protein structure is highly desirable.

Supervision Exercised

The postdoctoral associate may assist in advising graduate and undergraduate students within the lab working on related projects as their expertise allows. There are no formal supervising responsibilities with this position.

Pay

CALS hiring rate for this position is $63,480. The pay range is $62,232.00 - $88,745.00. The hiring rate of pay will be determined considering prior relevant work or industry experience, education level, academic discipline, and unique applicable skills.