Two three-year postdoc positions are available within the HiPerBreedSim project at Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute.
With HiPerBreedSim, we are going to deliver new tools and resources to the breeding community and boost research in evolutionary genomics. The project is funded though a BBSRC BBR grant to Prof Gregor Gorjanc, Daniel Tolhurst, and Hannes Becher.
Applications are due 19 June 2025.
Postdoc 1 will work on genomic simulations and simulation software development working under Hannes Becher. They will extend our selective breeding simulator AlphaSimR and improve interoperability with the tree sequence (ancestral recombination graph) ecosystem. They will also add additional functionality for polyploids to the coalescent simulator msprime. Programming skills in R and Python are required as well as a background in genetics. More information and application link here: https://elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/jobs/preview/12513
Postdoc 2 is for a biometrician / applied statistician working under Daniel Tolhurst in collaboration with Emi Tanaka from Austrlaia’s National University. They will develop novel extensions of AlphaSimR and FieldSimR to introduce complex phenotypes and experimental data arising from multiple data streams, e.g. high-throughput and hyper-spectral longitudinal data. The post holder will help push the forefront of state-of-the-art data generation in breeding programmes to match the rising amount of data generated in the field. More information and application link here: https://elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/job/12535
Both positions come with ample opportunities for publication and other dissemination.
For informal requests, contact dtolhurs@ed.ac.uk, h.becher@ed.ac.uk, and gregor.gorjanc@roslin.ed.ac.uk
Dr Daniel Tolhurst is an Edinburgh Innovation Fellow at The Roslin Institute for selGxE: Scoping, Estimating and Leveraging Genotype by Environment Interaction in breeding programmes, which develops novel statistical methods and tools for improving the sustainability of plant and animal breeding amid climate change. Prior to completing his PhD in quantitative genetics at Roslin, Daniel was trained as a biometrician under Prof. Brian Cullis, Dr Alison Smith and Dr Ky Mathews at University of Wollongong, where he implemented best practice statistics for the Australian Grains Industry, e.g., through the National Variety Trials (NVT) and Australian Prime Hard (APH) wheat quality projects.