The Shannon Lab is hiring!

Join our lab in the Twin Cities! We often have open positions for graduate students, postdocs, undergrads, and researchers. Feel free to reach out even if we do not have open opportunities!

Specific Opportunities

Postdoctoral Opportunities

Genomic Breeding Post Doc

The Shannon Potato Genomics and Breeding Lab at University of Minnesota is looking for a genomic breeding post doc to analyze genomic, phenomic, agronomic, and environmental data for the breeding program. The Shannon Lab breeds russets, chips, and fresh-market red and yellow potatoes at the tetraploid and diploid level. We develop high yielding potato varieties with enhanced quality traits and increased biotic and abiotic stress resistance for Minnesota growers. Initially, the post doc will be responsible for RenSeq analysis for powdery scab resistance, GWAS analysis for verticillium wilt resistance, and building/updating genomic selection models for the breeding program. However, there will also be opportunities to develop new projects and directions based on interests. The Shannon lab collaborates closely with other breeding programs in the North Central Region (NDSU, UW, MSU) and the candidate will be invited to participate in these collaborations.

The position is reappointed on an annual basis. Start date is flexible. The lab is located in the Department of Horticultural Science on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. UMN has an active plant breeding community. It is the rare agricultural school located in a major metro area. Although the St. Paul campus is suburban, it is a 10 minute campus connector bus ride to downtown Minneapolis, which has a plethora of restaurants, museums, theaters, sports teams, breweries and anything else you want from a city. Additionally, Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes and there are opportunities for biking, hiking, birding, boating, cross-country skiing etc. within a short distance from campus.

In the Shannon lab we work to create the kind of diverse scientific communities we want to be part of. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply and we expect applicants to have a similar commitment to creating and maintaining an inclusive environment where potatoes and people can grow.

Please apply with cover letter, CV, and sample publication through the University of Minnesota hiring portal and search for job 363794. Questions can be directed to Dr. Laura Shannon: lmshannon@umn.edu. The salary range for this position is $54,840.00 to $60,000.00.

Other Postdoc Opportunities

If you’re interested in working with us on a different project, feel free to email Dr. Shannon about applying for independent funding as she is happy to help develop project ideas for postdoc fellowships. Please include a CV and 2 first author manuscripts (pre-prints are fine) in your email. In general we look for postdocs with computational genetics experience.

Undergraduate Research

We regularly hire undergraduates as research assistants in the field and greenhouse. In particular we look for students who are enthusiastic about plant care, don’t mind dirt, are willing to lift crates of potatoes, and would like to learn about potato breeding and genetics.

Interested in summer opportunities? We are looking for undergrad workers to help out in the field, greenhouse, and lab. Part- and full-time opportunities are available. Please contact Logan Rodewald (rodew027@umn.edu) if you’re interested.

We also love to hire students through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. If you’d like to put together a project related to potato breeding or potato evolution please contact Dr. Shannon introducing yourself and your research interests. We are happy to help you develop your own research project!

Researchers

There are currently no open researcher positions.