Postdoctoral Scientist

Job Type: Faculty – Full‑Time (Exempt) | Hours per week: 40 | Duration: 12 months (two‑year appointment) | Location: Selinsgrove, PA | Closing Date: 10/15/2026 11:59 PM ET

About the role

Susquehanna University seeks a highly motivated Postdoctoral Scientist for a two‑year, NSF‑funded position on the P‑MixSwitch project, a collaboration with the University of Arizona. The project investigates the physiological and genetic mechanisms that enable small marine mixoplankton to switch between photosynthetic and predatory lifestyles. The postdoc will work in an interdisciplinary environment integrating microbial ecology, physiology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics, conducting laboratory experiments, transcriptomic analyses, manuscript preparation, conference presentations, and mentoring undergraduate researchers.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with researchers at Susquehanna University and the University of Arizona.
• Spend approximately one to two months per year in Tucson, AZ, as part of the collaborative effort.
• Conduct laboratory experiments with algal cultures.
• Perform RNA extractions and prepare samples for transcriptomic analyses.
• Analyze transcriptomic datasets using bioinformatics approaches.
• Contribute to manuscript preparation and present research findings at scientific conferences.
• Mentor undergraduate researchers.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Biology, Microbial Ecology, Biological Oceanography, Molecular Biology, Genomics, or a related field.
• Experience with molecular biology techniques and/or microbial culturing.
• Preferred: Experience with transcriptomics, RNA sequencing, and/or bioinformatics.
• Preferred: Experience with data analysis in R, Python, or related platforms.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of microbial ecology, phytoplankton, or protist biology.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
• Ability to conduct research independently and collaboratively.
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work effectively with researchers and personnel across institutions and disciplines.

Additional Requirements

NSF Research Security Training certification is required. Candidates who do not currently hold this certification must complete the training prior to the start of the position.

Project Overview

Mixoplankton are ecologically important eukaryotic microorganisms that acquire energy through both photosynthesis (phototrophy) and prey consumption (phagotrophy). The P‑MixSwitch project aims to uncover the mechanisms underlying this metabolic flexibility by tracking carbon and phosphorus fluxes, using physiological, molecular, and transcriptomic approaches to characterize cellular changes associated with trophic switching in prasinophyte mixoplankton.

Research Environment

The Charvet Lab at Susquehanna University employs molecular biology and bioinformatics to investigate genes and pathways involved in mixoplankton phagotrophy under varying environmental conditions. The postdoc will collaborate with the University of Arizona, perform RNA extraction, transcriptome sequencing, and gene expression analyses of key prasinophyte strains.

Pay

The salary is established by the NSF grant award and is not negotiable.