Postdoctoral Scholar-Fixed Term

Position Summary

The Hulin lab @ MSU is excited to welcome applications for a molecular plant bacteriologist. They will work collaboratively on projects focused on plant pathogenic bacteria evolution, focused on how host range and pathogenicity of Pseudomonas syringae is genetically determined. The position will be roughly split between the laboratory (60%), computational analysis (30%) and field (10%).

Responsibilities

• General molecular and biochemistry techniques
• Bacterial mutant generation
• Genome sequencing
• Conducting pathogenicity assays in growth chambers
• Bioinformatics analysis of data including use of population genomics techniques, phylogenetics and machine-learning development
• Write up results as manuscripts for publication
• Present research at conferences/professional meetings

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Biological Sciences, Plant Pathology or Microbiology
• Experience with molecular bacteriology
• Ability to plan, organize and execute projects independently
• Confidence with computational biology including use of programming languages such as R, python and some familiarity with high performance computing
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Desired Qualifications

• Previous research on plant pathogenic bacterial genomics and evolution
• Experience with and understanding of population genomics analyses
• Experience with and understanding of machine-learning development

Required Application Materials

• Cover Letter
• Resume/CV
• Name and contact information for 3 Professional References

Application Instructions

Review of Applications Begins On 08/10/2026. Further inquiries regarding position can be sent to Dr. Michelle Hulin (hulinmic@msu.edu).