[Employment] Postdoctoral research positions: Department of Genetics, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa (21 Aug 2007)

[Roodt-Wilding, R, Dr <roodt from sun.ac.za>]

Postdoctoral research positions: Department of Genetics, University of
Stellenbosch, South Africa (21 Aug 2007)

Various postdoctoral research positions in molecular genetics are
available in the Aquaculture Division, Department of Genetics,
Stellenbosch University with the project title "Genetic improvement of
the abalone, Haliotis midae."

Haliotis midae, known locally as 'perlemoen', occurs along the Western,
Southern and Eastern shores of South Africa and is the only one of the
six species that occurs in South Africa that is commercially exploited.
H. midae displays a very slow growth rate, taking two to five years to
reach market size. This is an obstacle in the profitable farming and
global competitiveness of this species.  In order to increase the
productivity and the profitability of the commercial activity, a
research program has been designed that makes use of the modern
technology currently applied to other aquaculture species. The research
program consists of three main tears: a) establishment of breeding
programs with the assistance of genetic markers, b) generation of
linkage maps and QTL identification, c) and the application of gene
transfer technology.

The successful candidates will be primarily responsible for
a)	the construction of tissue-specific, full-length cDNA libraries
for Haliotis midae.
b)	the development of a Haliotis midae Expressed Sequence Tag
Database (dbEST).
c)	linkage mapping in Haliotis midae with possible QTL
identification.

Candidates should have
a)	A strong background in molecular genetics with applicable
knowledge in cDNA technology. 
b)	Practical experience in DNA sequence analysis and a strong
background in bioinformatics is a prerequisite. 
c)	A proven background in molecular genetic markers with applicable
knowledge in linkage mapping. 

The positions are available for 2 years.

Interested candidates are requested to send their CV, including the
details of two references, to Dr. Rouvay Roodt-Wilding at
roodt from sun.ac.za. Please mark clearly on your application for which
research area specifically (a,b,c) you are applying for.

Closing date: 21 September 2007


Dr. Rouvay Roodt-Wilding
Aquaculture Division
Department of Genetics
JC Smuts Building
Room 213
University of Stellenbosch
Private Bag X1
Matieland
SOUTH AFRICA
7602
Tel: +27 (0) 21 808 5831
Fax: +27 (0) 21 808 5833