********************PostDocs******************** The Corbett-Detig lab is seeking applicants for a postdoctoral researcher position. Our group studies an array of questions broadly focused on understanding how natural selection shapes the evolution of the genome. Some ongoing topics include (1) gene regulatory impacts and evolution of chromosomal inversions, (2) computational inference and empirical analysis of admixed populations, (3) direct measurement and quantification of selection on gametes, and (4) the evolutionary impacts of transcription associated mutagenesis in highly expressed genes. The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D., a background in evolutionary genomics, skills in computational and molecular biology, and a strong track record of publication commensurate with their career stage. The position start date is flexible. We will start reviewing applications on March 2nd and will continue until the position is filled. Interested applicants should submit a CV, brief statement of past and future research interests, and contact information for three references to Russ Corbett-Detig (russcd@gmail.com). Informal inquiries are also welcome. Russ Corbett ********************PostDocs******************** Beta Hatch, a leader in the mass production of quality insects as feed, is seeking an experienced microbiologist with a background in microbiome research. As part of our R&D division, we are looking to harness the power of the insect gut to breakdown harmful toxins in agricultural waste by-products, using host-mediated selection. The position is open to post-doctoral candidates and other qualified researchers. Company Beta Hatch is pioneering a new industry in agriculture: Insects as animal feed. Since 2015, the company has been growing insect protein to feed aquaculture and poultry at Washington¢s first insect farm. Nutrient balanced fertilizer is a by-product of our process. We are industrializing insects to transform organic by-products, combining our expertise in entomology and mechanical engineering to scale production, automate, and control costs. Our goal is to disrupt the $400B animal feed industry and provide more sustainable nutrients for our food systems. For more information on Beta Hatch go to www.betahatch.com Role The microbiology postdoctoral or PhD-level research scientist will report directly to the CSO and be central to developing new probiotic products for Beta Hatch insects. Specific objectives include analysis of existing microbiome data, development of protocols for microbiome cultivation, tracking the evolution of microbiome communities, experimentation with microbial transfers between individuals and developing a long-term strategy for probiotics in insects. This position will be based at Beta Hatch facilities in SeaTac, WA (2019-2020) and Cashmere, WA (2020). Beyond technical skills, the researcher must be able to perform well in a fast-moving startup company and handle multiple priorities. Candidates must be self-motivated, become well-versed in the field and rapidly learn new techniques. Excellent communication skills are a requirement. Primary responsibilities include: - Analysis of existing and future gut microbiome data - Development of protocols for cultivating and transferring gut microbiomes from donor to receipt insect hosts - Maintenance of specialized insect colonies used for study - Development of stable probiotics for commercialization Qualifications - PhD in microbiology, genomics or related field, additional experience preferred. - Research experience on microbiomes is essential, with a preference for candidates who have experience working with insects. - Ability to maintain a sterile working environment in a non-traditional lab setting. - Expertise in software(s) used for microbiome analysis and presentation. - Excellent planning and organizational skills. - Excellent verbal, written and graphic communication skills. - Must be excited about evolution and bugs! For more details, and confidential inquires please contact: Dr. Hans Kelstrup, Chief Science Officer hans@betahatch.com Hans Kelstrup ********************WorkshopsCourses******************** Second Notice: UCLA/La Kretz Workshop in Conservation Genomics, 23 - 27 March, 2019 Conservation biology, genetics, and evolutionary biology have had a long and intimate relationship, and conservation constitutes one of the key applications of evolutionary analysis to real-world biological problems. The impacts of population and landscape genetics and gene expression studies have been particularly striking, and are helping to solve some of the most pressing problems in biological conservation. As the field of conservation genetics continues to grow and mature, the availability of genome-scale data stand to make profound new contributions to our ability to identify and protect at-risk populations and recover those that are most endangered. However, genomic analyses also carry a computational burden-data sets are enormous, often require diverse skills and approaches for assembly, quality control and analysis. The La Kretz annual workshop provides a comfortable, rigorous, and informal training environment for a small group of motivated graduate students to explore how conservation problems can best be addressed with genomic-level data. Our goal is to provide hands-on experience in the efficient collection, troubleshooting, and analysis of large data sets for conservation-relevant problems. One of the highlights of our workshop is active participation from members of several governmental agencies who are at the forefront of endangered species protection and management, providing a forum for exploring the most relevant aspects of conservation genomics to managers. This year, the Woolsey fire destroyed most of our beloved UCLA/La Kretz Field Station (https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/santa-monica-mountains- research/) where we normally house the workshop. However, through an incredibly generous subsidy, we will house participants this year at the Calamigos Ranch next door (https://www.calamigos.com), with classes at the UCLA Stunt Ranch Reserve (http://stuntranch.ucnrs.org/), both in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains. Only 30 miles from UCLA and the LAX airport, but nestled in the relatively undeveloped 160,000 acre Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Calamigos is a gorgeous setting, and Stunt Reserve provides an ideal location to explore new developments in genomic science and pressing needs in conservation and management together in a single setting. Our current instructor list, drawn from UCLA faculty and several other partner institutions, includes: Gideon Bradburd (Michigan State University) Ben Fitzpatrick (U. Tennessee Knoxville) Zach Gold/ Emily Curd Ryan Harrigan Kirk Lohmueller Evan McCartney-Melstad Alice Mouton Brad Shaffer Victoria Sork Erin Toffelmier Ian Wang (UC Berkeley, tentative) Bob Wayne Agency partners represented: US Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy. Topics covered: Overview of traditional conservation genetics Next generation platforms: the best tool for the job Data management pipelines: Quality Control Data storage Data organization Data types and analyses: SNPs Sequences Exploring very large data sets Functional genomic data RNA-seq RADseq pipelines, from raw reads to analyzing data Genomic data and GIS Visualizing geographic structure and demographic history Admixture, clines, and hybridization Detecting adaptive variation RNAseq in a conservation context eDNA: promise and reality Prerequisites Available housing limits course enrollment to ~20 students. Preference will be given to masters and doctoral candidates who are in the early to middle stages of their thesis research, and who have some familiarity with using a command line interface or programming languages (i.e. Perl, python etc.). We also welcome applications from postdocs, faculty, and government researchers. We encourage applications from women, minorities, and individuals from under-represented demographics in the sciences. ADMISSION AND FEES Applicants will be admitted based on academic qualifications and appropriateness of research interests. The course fee is $475. This includes food and lodging at Calamigos, as well as all incidental fees, for the duration of the course (arriving Saturday March 23, departing Thursday March 28). UCLA students are encouraged to take the La Kretz Workshop for graduate credit. Other UC students may also be able to take the course for credit. We will provide documentation of the course if needed at your home institution. Application Forms and Information Visit the UCLA/La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science website for additional information and to download an application form: https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019-La-Kretz-Conservation-Genomics-Application.docx Application Deadline (sorry it's short notice!): Applications are due by February 20, 2019. Please send a completed application form and a short letter of recommendation from your major advisor. Students will be notified via e-mail by February 22, 2019 of acceptance. Note: We extended the deadline by two days since 18 February is a US holiday! Applications should be emailed as a single PDF (including the letter of recommendation) to: lakretz@ioes.ucla.edu Any question, contact Brad Shaffer at: brad.shaffer@ucla.edu See you in the mountains! Brad Shaffer brad.shaffer@ucla.edu Phone: (310) 825-3836 H. Bradley Shaffer Distinguished Professor Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology www.eeb.ucla.edu/Faculty/Shaffer/ Director UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science Institute of the Environment and Sustainability University of California, Los Angeles https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/lakretz/ hbshaffe@g.ucla.edu ********************Conferences******************** We would like to invite you to the 10th Biennial Conference of the Systematics Association. The meeting will take place in the vibrant city of Bristol from 17th to 19th June 2019. The keynote speakers include Fredrik Ronquist, Tandy Warnow, and Tom Brooks. Early bird registration ends in 31 March 2019 and abstracts can be submitted until 26th April. There are especial rates for students and attendants from developing countries, and there is a limited number of student bursaries available. More information can be found here: https://systass.org/events-2019/biennial-2019/ . You can also follow the Systematics Association twitter (@SystAssn) for update announcements. Looking forward to welcoming you in Bristol! The Systematics Association Biennial Organising Team jordipaps@gmail.com ********************Conferences******************** Dear colleagues Just a reminder for our SMBE Satellite Meeting and Workshop on ˜Identifying barriers to gene flow in the genome' to be held 17th-19th June 2019 at the Marine Biology Laboratory, Tjärnö, Sweden. The deadline for registering is the 25th February - so there is still time to sign up! Speciation genomics is a fast moving and rapidly changing field. Genome scans and demographic inference are popular tools for studying how barriers to gene flow evolve and how species diverge, but the field has only recently begun to take into account confounding factors that might bias these methods. If standard approaches are insufficient for identifying barriers to gene flow and understanding the processes involved in speciation, where do we go next? One way forward is the use of sophisticated approaches to jointly infer signals of selection, gene flow and demographic history. We can also use efficient simulation to introduce greater statistical rigour to our approaches. This three day workshop/meeting on speciation genomics will combine talks from invited speakers and participants, a discussion panel and a hands-on workshop to learn how to use a composite likelihood approach to infer selection, gene flow and demography from genome scan data. Invited speakers include: * Reto Burri (University of Jena) * Jonna Kulmuni (University of Helsinki) * Kelley Harris (University of Washington) * Simon Aeschbacher (University of Zurich) * [Frederic Guillaume (University of Zurich) The practical workshop will be led by Jerome Kelleher (Big Data Institute, Oxford) (the importance of simulations) and Konrad Lohse (University of Edinburgh). Some basic experience in Unix, and Python programming is necessary but we provide links to resources on our website: https://smbespeciationgenomics.github.io/ There is space for approximately 40-50 participants. To apply, please register at https://smbespeciationgenomics.github.io//register/. The deadline for applications is 25th February 2019. It is free to register but attendance will cost $300 (US) to cover accommodation and food for the three days. Travel bursaries are available for MSc and PhD students wishing to attend. We encourage participants from all backgrounds and levels to apply and we look forward to welcoming you to Sweden in June! https://smbespeciationgenomics.github.io/ Mark Ravinet, Marina Rafajlović, Michael Matschiner, Simon Martin, Chris Jiggins & Markus Möst mark.ravinet@ibv.uio.no ********************Conferences******************** EVOLUTION 2019 -- Annual joint meeting of the ASN/SSB/SSE June 21-25, Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI http://www.evolutionmeetings.org Main conference registration is now OPEN / Talk & poster submission are also OPEN. Talks will be accepted until May 15 or until capacity is reached, WHICHEVER IS EARLIER. Posters accepted until May 15. T-shirts not yet available for purchase; you can log back into the registration system later to add them when they become available. Hotel accommodations: https://www.evolutionmeetings.org/accommodation.html Dorm accommodations are booked DURING conference registration. The majority of rooms are double and you must specify your roommate to reserve a room. Help finding a roommate here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ePZ72-2FrTVZpucANJVQDhnfL3Wg8Yn2e9JeObIxWVo/edit?usp=sharing Answers to nearly all question you may have about the conference can be found on the meeting website. APR. 15 IS AN IMPORTANT DATE - Early registration discount ends - Applications for ASN and SSE student/pdf travel grants close - Applications to volunteer at the conference in return for 100% rebate on early registration fees close - Applications for Mayr and Hamilton awards close. ***Eligible students wanting to apply should register for a regular talk ASAP as these may fill prior to Apr. 15 (you can edit your talk details later)*** OTHER INFORMATION - Consider giving a poster; our poster invite app will allow you to invite up to 3 attendees of your choice to come view it. This can dramatically change the relative value of a poster compared to a talk - Free professional childcare available on-site. Bookings are done during conference registration. - There are MANY optional events before and during the conference. Some required pre-registration. Details on the website. - Sponsor/exhibitor registration is also open. hrundle@uottawa.ca