[MARMAM] One-year internship in genetic modeling

[Karen Martien]

ONE YEAR INTERNSHIP IN GENETICS AND COMPUTER MODELING
Contact Dr. Karen Martien (Karen.Martien at noaa.gov)

The Southwest Fisheries Science Center, located in San Diego, CA, USA, 
is accepting applications for a one-year internship in conservation 
genetics modeling. We are seeking a motivated, enthusiastic person 
interested in gaining valuable career experience while contributing to 
an international research project of immediate relevance to applied 
conservation genetics.

The intern would join an international team of scientists working on the 
Testing of Spatial Structure Methods (TOSSM) project, a long-term 
research project aimed at testing the performance of different 
analytical methods of detecting population structure from genetic data. 
An adequate understanding of population structure is frequently a 
crucial element in enabling informed conservation and management 
decisions. Advancing our ability to detect population structure using 
genetic data has been identified as a research priority for both the 
Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC SC) 
and the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Though a number 
of analytical techniques are available that use genetic data to address 
population structure questions, none have been thoroughly tested to 
quantify their performance in a conservation and management context. To 
address this lack of reliable performance tests, NMFS and the IWC SC 
jointly initiated the TOSSM project, the purpose of which is to design 
and conduct a large, iterative performance-testing study.

The TOSSM project is currently in its third year. Our focus now is on 
data management and analysis. The intern’s duties will include:
* Managing a large dataset, including basic database development
* Creating and maintaining a website for the TOSSM project
* Completing, documenting, and submitting an R package containing the 
project code
* Writing analytical programs in the language R
* Analyzing genetic data and interpreting results
* Assisting in manuscript preparation

The successful applicant will have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in 
computer science, biology, or other relevant field. Applicants must have 
computer programming experience, preferably in the programming language 
R. Experience writing R packages is highly desirable. Applicants should 
also have an understanding of population genetics, strong organizational 
and writing skills, and an ability to work independently. Though 
experience in both computer programming and population genetics/dynamics 
is desirable, we will place greater emphasis on computer skills when 
evaluating applications.

Application deadline: December 15, 2006

Start date: Preferred start date is January 22, 2007, though alternative 
start dates will be considered

To apply, please send a cover letter describing your qualifications, a 
resume, and a list of three professional references (phone numbers and 
e-mail contacts) to:

Dr. Karen Martien
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
National Marine Fisheries Service
8604 La Jolla Shores Dr.
La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
Karen.Martien at noaa.gov
858-546-7058

-- 
***********************************
Dr. Karen Martien
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
8604 La Jolla Shores Drive
La Jolla, CA 92037
USA
Ph: 858-546-7058
Fax: 858-546-7003
***********************************