Postdoctoral Scholar - Tarvin Lab - Department of Integrative Biology and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

A postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Rebecca Tarvin in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley to study the genetic and physiological basis of kleptocnidy in nudibranch mollusks. The Department of Integrative Biology (IB) is a dynamic group of researchers answering important questions in evolutionary, ecological and functional biology in an interdisciplinary collaborative environment.

IB shares rich connections with four natural history museums, and is a leading force in promoting field research and educational opportunities. We address problems relevant to human health and origins, the diversity of life, and biological interactions at all scales. Research in the Tarvin Lab focuses on the genetic and physiological adaptations of animals to naturally occurring toxins.

The Tarvin Lab is also based in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, a leader in studies of biodiversity and evolution. Please visit our website for more information about our research and the lab. This position is being hired as part of an NSF-funded project in collaboration with Jessica Goodheart at the American Museum of Natural History to study the process of kleptocnidy, the theft and storage of microscopic stinging structures (nematocysts), in nudibranch mollusks.

We are interested in whether this unique process evolved through specialization of phagocytosis, an ancient cellular process used across animals for immune defense and intracellular digestion. The role of the postdoctoral scholar will be to identify the molecular processes underlying kleptocnidy in Californian nudibranchs using RNA-sequencing and pharmacological inhibition assays.

The position duties include, but are not limited to: Carry out original scientific research related to dietary theft in nudibranchs, including animal husbandry, genomics, molecular biology, physiology and field work within the U.S. International field work is an opportunity that may arise during the course of employment.

Write and publish peer-reviewed papers and other scholarly material on the results of the research. Present scientific results at professional meetings, scientific institutions, and, when appropriate, to the media and popular audiences. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to develop new projects in the context of our research program.