GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES: UNDERSTANDING AND MODIFYING MICROBIAL NICHE BREADTH
I moved my lab from The Pennsylvania State University to the University of Toronto – Scarborough in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences in January 2023. I am looking for graduate students to start sometime in 2023 to help launch my new program.
Student projects can focus on the fundamental and/or applied consequences of microbial niche breadth. Fundamentally, microbial compatibility with various environments helps to determine microbial biogeography. While a broad environmental range may provide benefits to a microbe, there are likely costs to carrying more survival traits; however, we know little about the relative costs of different types of generalism (e.g. resource generalists vs. thermal generalists). From an applied perspective, understanding the factors that shape the niche breadth of microorganisms can help us in designing more effective microbial inoculants, for agriculture and otherwise. Such inoculants are promising alternatives to chemical additives, such as inorganic fertilizers and pesticides, but are still largely unpredictable in field settings.
Project development will depend on a combination of lab needs and student interests, but I expect most student projects will contribute to one of
the following three areas:
1.Environmental filtering to collect microbes with unique ecological traits
2.Directed evolution to modify microbial niche breadth
3.Modification of environmental stressors and opportunities to affect in-field microbial survival and function
To date, I have worked with an amazing and diverse group and appreciate the value that many types of diversity have brought to our work. This includes, but is not limited to, diversity in academic training, problem-solving approaches, and personal backgrounds and experiences. Je suis content d’intéragir en anglais ou en français.
Baseline funding will reflect standards in the particular graduate program that the student applies to.
If interested, please send a CV, a letter of interest, unofficial transcripts, and contact info for 3 references to terrence.bell@utoronto.ca.
Information on the Department can be found here: https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/physsci/
*While I encourage anyone to express interest, note that admissions for international graduate students (those who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents) will be extremely competitive.
Postdoctoral opportunity: I am currently recruiting for a funded postdoctoral associate position. Please apply by May 31, 2023 if possible. See full ad description here.
Candidates are additionally encouraged to apply for internal and external funding opportunities, such as the UTSC Inclusive Excellence Postdoctoral Program, UTSC Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, UofT Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, or NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships.
Undergraduate research opportunities may be available through opportunities such as the NSERC USRA program and work study postings. Interested undergraduates should contact me with a transcript, CV, and a statement about why they are interested in the research opportunity and how it would contribute to their career goals.
