Postdoctoral Fellow, Researcher in Haskap Genotyping, Plant Sciences

Postdoctoral Fellow, Researcher in Haskap Genotyping, Plant Sciences

Primary

Purpose:

The successful candidate will contribute to research focused on characterizing haskap (Lonicera caerulea) genetic resources maintained within the USask Fruit Program. The primary focus will be on genotyping genetically diverse accessions that exhibit distinct responses to specific growing conditions.

Nature of Work: The USask Fruit Program invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher position under the supervision of Assistant Professor Dr. Anže Švara. This research will leverage advanced sequencing and bioinformatics analyses and will be conducted across field, greenhouse, and laboratory settings. A combination of field, greenhouse, laboratory, and computer-based activities.

Accountabilities: The postdoctoral researcher will play a central role in advancing the research and breeding efforts of the USask Fruit Program. They will join a collaborative team of plant breeders and horticultural scientists, focusing on genetic research to support breeding initiatives. Key responsibilities include establishing plant experiments, sampling, conducting ploidy analysis, DNA extraction, sequencing data processing, developing association analysis pipelines, and implementing scalable workflows for high-throughput data analysis.

The researcher will collaborate with stakeholders, disseminate results through scientific publications and public channels, and work closely with project partners, growers, industry representatives, and other collaborators. Additional duties include manuscript preparation, grant writing, reporting, assisting with lab activities, supervising junior members, and coordinating team efforts. We seek a motivated highly organized team player committed to fostering a supportive, diverse, equitable, inclusive, and collegial work environment.

Education: To meet the eligibility criteria and apply for this position consult the “Future graduate students” website of the University of Saskatchewan:

This is a two-year position ) with a possibility of extension. The position requires a candidate who can begin work in the first half of 2026 and holds a PhD awarded no earlier than 2022, specializing in bioinformatics, plant genetics, or plant breeding. Candidates must demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills in English and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively while meeting tight deadlines.

Experience: Candidates must demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills in English and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively while meeting tight deadlines.

Skills: Background in horticulture, plant genomics, large-scale data analysis, or programming skills is preferred. Demonstrated experience in population genetics using genome-wide genetic marker datasets, statistics, programming in R and command-line environments, and work in field, greenhouse, laboratory, and computational settings would be considered an asset. Possession of a valid Class 5 driver’s license is also an asset.