Current Openings

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Posted June 6, 2024.

The Barden Lab at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is soliciting applications for Postdoctoral Research Associate position focused on community assembly and extinction. The position is part of an NSF grant detailed here that combines data from living and fossil ant species in a unique island setting. Project aims are to 1) characterize the fossil and living communities through taxonomic descriptions, phylogenetic reconstruction, and ecological reconstruction; 2) test hypotheses related to extinction selectivity, faunal turnover, and macroevolutionary contributions to community assembly; 3) create K-12 education materials and open-source resources for educators as well as other researchers. Research in the lab is fundamentally comparative and incorporates data from multiple species simultaneously to answer broad evolutionary questions.

The position is initially for one year and will be renewed for a second year subject to satisfactory performance at a salary of $61,093. Starting date is flexible within 2024. Applications will be accepted until July 14, 2024.

Essential Functions

•Generate, curate, and analyze molecular and phenotypic data from extant and fossil ant specimens.

•Act as a mentor to diverse students in the lab, as well as collaborate effectively with colleagues and support staff.

•Contribute to or lead lab publications, conference submissions, as well as grant proposals.

•Through mentorship and strategic planning with the PI, develop additional skills and experience valuable to long-term career goals.

Mentorship and Support

The successful candidate will receive direct guidance in mentoring students, the development of new scientific skillsets, and career planning. In addition, funding is available to attend development workshops and conferences. Part of project planning will include a roadmap for generating products that correspond with the candidate’s long-term career goals.  

Helpful Qualifications and Expertise

Experience in any of the following areas is helpful but not required: UCE or targeted enrichment sequencing and phylogenetic analysis; terrestrial arthropod fieldwork and specimen handling; CT-scanning or morphometric analysis; phylogenetic comparative methods; macroevolutionary or ecological analyses with a deep-time component; K-12 outreach and education; undergraduate and graduate student mentorship.

Please do not self-select if you are concerned you are not eligible for this position because you are missing some of the experience listed above. No candidate is expected to have all these qualifications and the position will include opportunities to gain exposure to each.

The Department

The lab is part of the Federated Department of Biological Sciences, which spans Rutgers University–Newark and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Located in NJIT’s urban campus in Newark, the lab is part of a vibrant and active research department, with strengths in ecology, systematics, animal behavior, functional morphology, as well as cellular and neurobiology.

Apply

Potential candidates are strongly encouraged to contact Phil Barden to discuss potential projects and learn more (barden@njit.edu). Please apply here.

Other Opportunities

There are currently funded/paid undergraduate positions open in the lab, please contact barden@njit.edu for details. I am also happy to help undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral researchers identify and apply for other externally funded opportunities. For undergraduate and graduate students, these opportunities include fellowships at NJIT as well as federal funding through the National Science Foundation. Undergraduates may also undertake independent research for course credit. If you are a potential postdoctoral researcher interested in working together, please get in touch – there are a number of routes for funding collaborative research.

In general, we work to answer questions related to the following topics: (1) the evolution and extinction of social insects (2) the methodological limits of extracting data from fossilized organisms including through X-ray imaging (3) morphological evolution, functional morphology, and the reconstruction of ancient behaviors (4) phylogenetics and the utility of fossils in systematic biology (5) applying comparative genomic approaches to better understand convergent trends in evolution. Although these are our core areas of research, motivated students who are interested in answering different but complimentary questions are encouraged to apply.

If you would like to know more about joining the lab, please email barden [at] njit.edu with your research interests and previous experience. If you're a student with no previous research experience, that's OK! Students and postdocs who are interested in social insects, paleoentomology, X-ray imaging, systematics, or comparative genomics are especially encouraged to get in touch. Students may have a particular project in mind or work to develop an independent project alongside the PI.