Emerging Plant Disease and Global Food Security Cluster – Raleigh, NC

In this position, we seek a solution-driven research scholar with expertise on plant pathogenic oomycetes including Phytophthora species and fungi. They will conduct cutting-edge science to track emerging plant pathogenic Phytophthora and fungi that can be used by decision-makers to improve local and global efforts to manage emerging pathogens that threaten crop production and food security. Examples of research include population genomics using modern high-throughput sequencing methods (e.g., long-read, rad-seq, pen-seq, single cell, etc.) sequencing to track outbreak strains, understand centers of origins, migrations, and sources of plant diseases, analytics of spatially explicit population genomics datasets to predict transmission pathways, and deployment of rapid response strategies to detect and limit potential damage by emerging threats. Applicants with a history of working across boundaries using population genomics datasets with plant disease epidemiologists and spatial modelers is important. Approaches that leverage translation to stakeholders at the local, national and international levels are especially important.