Postdoctoral Researcher

Every position at Fort Worth Botanic Garden (FWBG) is important to the organization’s success and contributes to the accomplishment of the strategic goals and, ultimately, achievement of its vision for the future. This role encompasses every employee’s goal of engaging with colleagues, partners, and stakeholders in support of the organization’s mission. Engagement includes participation on teams and committees, exerting extra effort to help the organization succeed, and investing time in the guest experience. Success in this position involves taking pride in working for this organization, committing to effective communication, being solution focused, and embracing a culture of positive change. FWBG is continuously working to build a culture where employees each work with an enthusiastic desire to contribute their skills, wisdom, and ideas towards their team’s performance and to experience a sense of satisfaction in the important role they play.

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) at FWBG is recruiting a motivated individual for a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The selected applicant will work collaboratively with an international team based at BRIT and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to advance research goals in support of a grant-funded project entitled “NSFDEB-NERC: Subtribal classification and generic delimitation among Eastern Hemisphere ironweeds (Vernonieae, Compositae).”

Principle Responsibilities/Duties/Functions/Tasks

• As a collaborator on this project, the selected candidate will:
  • Utilize phylogenomic sequence data for large-scale comparative phylogenomic study in Vernonieae to resolve evolutionary relationships at the sub-tribal level;
  • Gather morphological trait data from specimens in the field, herbarium, and laboratory to advance integrative taxonomic priorities;
  • Leverage data in an integrative way to advance taxonomic priorities for Vernonieae in the Eastern Hemisphere;
  • Assist with specimen curation in herbaria at BRIT, Kew, and other herbaria;
  • Contribute collected specimen data to large, online public databases including, but not limited to GenBank, Morphobank, PalDat, and the Global Compositae Database;
  • Help develop science outreach and communication activities to share broader impacts of this work;
  • Disseminate research findings through presentations at national and international conferences;
  • Prepare research findings for publication in relevant, peer-reviewed publications;
  • Maintain strong communication and interpersonal skills with PIs, students, and other project collaborators.
• Participate in the planning, preparation, and filling of employee roles for various public events/exhibits hosted by the FWBG.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position will supervise and mentor students in the field, laboratory, and herbarium environment to support their academic training and development. May oversee activities of volunteers

Position Type, Expected Hours of Work, Travel

This is a full-time position, and the regular hours of work and days are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.; however, this position can regularly require long hours. Working in the evenings and on holidays may be required. Flextime is a work schedule arrangement that may or may not be appropriate for this position.

Employee may be expected to maintain a current Texas Driver’s License and auto-related liability insurance.

Work Environment

This job operates in a research and professional office and scientific collections environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and filing cabinets. This position will also include work outdoors associated with travel, including overnight (e.g., to conferences or to participate in lengthy, international fieldwork). This position may also work outside during public exhibits/events in Texas climate conditions.

Qualifications

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.

Employee will typically exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, a negligible amount of force frequently, and/or constantly having to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. If the employee participates in fieldwork, they will be expected to walk over uneven surfaces, bend, squat, carry up to 50 pounds, and hike long distances over uneven terrain.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Required Education and Experience

• A Ph.D. in Biology, Botany, Evolution, Plant Science, Systematics, or related and awarded prior to their start date.
• Experience leading independent research in plant evolutionary biology, plant systematics, and/or plant taxonomy.
• Experience collecting plants in the field and depositing voucher specimens into a herbarium.
• Experience with comparative phylogenetic and/or phylogenomic methods.
• Applicants must have a record of research accomplishment, as demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications; presentation of research findings at national and/or international conferences; and/or receipt of awards, fellowships, or grants.
• Applicants must be able to converse and write fluently in English.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications

• Detailed understanding of plant anatomy for descriptive taxonomy, particularly among plants in the daisy family, Compositae.
• Experience contributing to and curating large, online databases.
• Experience working with and/or curating herbarium specimens.
• Experience with statistical methods to analyze biological specimen data (e.g., species distribution and ecological niche modeling) and programming (i.e., Python, R, etc.).
• Experience interpreting and applying the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.
• Experience with student mentorship, supervision, and training and a demonstrated commitment to training the next-generation of scientists, particularly emphasizing students historically excluded from the sciences.

FWBG strives to maintain a positive working environment focused on growth and success of individuals, working together in a collaborative, professional manner, with communication a priority. Please upload your CV/resume and a cover letter as pdf files. Application review will begin July 31 and continue until the position is filled. Expected start date is September 3, 2024. Actual start date is negotiable. To learn more about our organization visit our homepage at https://fwbg.org/.