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We are currently recruiting a postdoc to start on 6/1/2024 on an NIH funded project aiming to investigate the function of male-derived female-translated proteins (mdFTPs) in the lower reproductive tract of cactophilic Drosophila females. Please see our currently in-review manuscript describing our mdFTP work in bioRxiv (Matzkin et al. in review). The original appointment will be for one year and can be extended up to two more years. I am seeking a highly motivated and creative individual with strong molecular, genomics, computational, and/or evolutionary genetics skills to join our evolutionary and ecological genomics lab. Good writing and communication skills will be required for this position. Prior experience working with Drosophila is not necessary, but a plus. Postdoc will be based at The University of Arizona, Department of Entomology and will also interact closely with collaborator, Dr. Jeremy Bono, at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Additionally, postdoc will have the opportunity to interact with investigators at the BIO5 Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. 

Duties & Responsibilities:

The postdoc will be involved in all research aspects of the NIH project, and would have the possible opportunity to develop new projects in consultation with Dr. Matzkin and Dr. Bono. Critical and independent thinking is very important for this position, as well as having the ability to analyze data, write manuscripts and proposal writing.

– The postdoc will be responsible for and oversee the generation of CRISPR KO and UAS/GAL4 transgenic Drosophila lines of candidate genes. This will include overseeing or directly doing the injection of embryos and all the genotyping necessary associated with the generation of KO and transgenic lines.  The postdoc will also be in charge of the generation UAS and GAL4 plasmids for injection.

– The postdoc will be responsible for the functional assays for all KO and transgenic lines generated. These assays include the assessment of fecundity, female remating behavior and sperm competitiveness. Additional phenotypes will also likely be measured guided by results of experiments.

– The postdoc will be responsible for the single cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) and standard RNAseq experiments of reproductive tracts in both female and males, including that of the KO and transgenic lines. The duties include overseeing and assisting in the collection of the samples, extraction of RNA and generation of libraries, as well as the analysis of the data.

– It is expected that the postdoc will take a leadership role in the analysis of the data generated as well as the writing of the manuscripts.  It is also expected given the leading role of the postdoc in these activities, that the individual will be first author in many of them.

– Postdoc will participate in lab meetings of the Matzkin lab and the joint project meetings with the Bono lab as well as present their work at national and international conferences.

-Postdoc will interact with the graduate and undergraduate students in the Matzkin and Bono labs as well as having the opportunity to be involved in outreach activities. 

Qualifications:

The candidate is expected to have a PhD in genetics, genomics, evolutionary biology, molecular biology or related field upon hire. A background in genetics and/or molecular and computational biology desired. Postdoc must have excellent writing, communication and critical thinking skills with a proven track record of successfully completing research projects and the writing of manuscript(s) for publication. Prior experience working with Drosophila a plus but not necessary. The preferred start date for the postdoc is June 1^st, 2024.

How to apply:

Apply at here.  You will need to submit a 1) cover letter briefly outlining the candidate’s fit to the position and future goals 2) curriculum vitae 3) contact information (email and phone) for three references, preferably including doctoral advisor and/or postdoctoral advisor (if relevant) and 4) no more than three relevant publication/manuscript PDFs. Review of applicants will start immediately and continue until position if filled. Please contact Luciano Matzkin (lmatzkin@arizona.edu) if you have additional questions about the position or visit our lab page, http://www.matzkinlab.org

At the University of Arizona, we value our inclusive climate because we know that diversity in experiences and perspectives is vital to advancing innovation, critical thinking, solving complex problems, and creating an inclusive academic community. As a Hispanic-serving institution, we translate these values into action by seeking individuals who have experience and expertise working with diverse students, colleagues, and constituencies. Because we seek a workforce with a wide range of perspectives and experiences, we provide equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information. As an Employer of National Service, we also welcome alumni of AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service programs and others who will help us advance our Inclusive Excellence initiative aimed at creating a university that values student, staff and faculty engagement in addressing issues of diversity and inclusiveness.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more! The University of Arizona has been recognized on Forbes 2015 list of America’s Best Employers in the United States and has been awarded the 2015 Work-Life Seal of Distinction by the Alliance for Work-Life Progress! For more information about working at the University of Arizona, please http://www.whyua.com.

Very excited to hear that our R01 proposal got funded. This project focuses on investigating the role of male-derived ejaculate RNA in fertility. This is a collaborative project with Jeremy Bono at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. We will be looking into the role and mechanism of male-derived female-translated proteins (mdFTPs) in fertility using the cactophilic Drosophila system. Stay tuned for our new mdFTP paper!!! We are planning on hiring a postdoc for this project to start in the Fall of 2024, please contact me if you are interested.

The cactusflybase site currently houses the sequences and annotation of our seven new de novo chromosome-level assemblies of D. mojavensis (from Catalina Island, Mojave Desert, Sonora Desert and Baja California populations), D. arizonae (from the Sonora Desert and Chiapas populations) and D. navojoa. You can read our Biorxiv preprint of our in review manuscript on the generation and analysis of our new cactophilic Drosophila genomes. Coming very soon we will add new genomes of South American cactophilic Drosophila from the buzzatii group, which we collaborated with Dr. Esteban Hasson’s group at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (see the Biorxiv version of the buzzatti group manuscript).

The cactusflybase site will also be a repository of information of our new cactophilic Drosophila transgenic toolbox. As part of a recently funded NSF EDGE award we will generate transgenic lines of D. mojavensis, D. arizonae and D. buzzatii for the community. Stay tuned more information coming soon.

Our study examined how divergent evolutionary trajectories, likely a result of strong sexual selection, shape the transcriptional response of female lower reproductive tracts in cactophilic Drosophila. Since we had to do many heterospecific crosses (between D. arizonae and D. mojavensis), we watched many many fly pairs not mate :). Really proud of our work and my fellow authors. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-03758-2

Very happy to see our paper on uncovering a novel candidate gene (Kinesin-12) associated with the resistance to the Bt toxin Cry1Ac in the agricultural pest Helicoverpa zea is out in GENETICS (https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyac037). This paper had it all, a de novo chromosome level assembly of H. zea, bulk segregant analysis of Cry1Ac resistance followed by fine-scale mapping, RNAseq analysis of H. zea guts to support identification of candidate, and population analysis. This lead to the identification of Kinesin-12, a gene not previously linked to Bt toxin resistance, as a significant contributor to Cry1Ac resistance in this important agricultural pest. This was a wonderful collaborative project lead by lab postdoc, Dr. Kyle Benowitz (currently an Assistant Professor at Austin Peay State University). Lab manager Carson Allan was also instrumental in the success of the project. This project would not have been possible without the other members of the Helicoverpa team, Dr. Bruce Tabashnik (UA Entomology), Dr. Yves Carriere (UA Entomology), Dr. Jeff Fabrick (USDA ARS), Dr. Xianchun Li (UA Entomology), Ben Degain (Carriere lab).

https://kjzz.org/content/1746950/long-hours-and-short-supplies-revisiting-science-during-covid-19

You can listen to it here: https://media.kjzz.org/s3fs-public/covid-science-shutdown-revisited-ng-20220117.mp3

No fly pictures this time, but a beautiful rotten organ pipe cactus is shown (if only we had smell-o-vision).

It was a wonderful and productive fours years and although I new this moment will eventually happen, it is sad to see postdocs Kyle Benowitz and Fernando Diaz leave the lab. I am very proud of them for all the success and work they have achieved while in the lab at the University of Arizona. This is especially the case given all that they had to deal with over the last year and a half with the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a tough year to be looking for academic jobs, but they persevered. And although we will still be collaborating on projects and manuscripts for sometime, I will miss their presence and impact on my lab. Kyle is heading to Austin Peay State University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, and Fernando will be a Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at Colgate University. Wishing them the very best, much success and happiness.

https://kjzz.org/content/1620830/some-scientists-shutdown-not-option-during-covid-19-pandemic

Our lab was featured in a story about getting science done during a pandemic. On the written story you can see a picture of Fernando Diaz (postdoc) in the field in Organ Pipe National Monument, a picture of some of our fly cages taken by Carson Allan (lab manager), and the reference to being in the lab around the clock was to the experiments that Kyle Benowitz (postdoc) did.

On June 15, 2020 we officially started our work on uncovering the genetics of Bt resistance in the agricultural pest Helicoverpa zea (Corn earworm, CEW). This work is in collaboration with friends and great colleagues from the Department of Entomology at the University of Arizona, Bruce Tabashnik and Yves Carriere, and from the USDA ALARC, Jeff Fabrick.