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New Ag100Pest assemblies, and job announcement

We are excited to announce three new Ag100Pest species at the i5k Workspace@NAL: Plodia interpunctella, Dermatocenter andersonii, and Bombus affinis. The i5k Workspace now hosts 100 species!

New organism and dataset pages (https://i5k.nal.usda.gov/organisms); browsers with mapped RNA-Seq (https://i5k.nal.usda.gov/available-genome-browsers); file downloads, including functional annotations (https://i5k.nal.usda.gov/content/data-downloads); and BLAST databases (https://i5k.nal.usda.gov/webapp/blast) are available. Apollo registration for all organisms can be accessed at https://i5k.nal.usda.gov/web-apollo-registration.

Finally, please see the below job announcement for a USDA-ARS postdoctoral research fellow in chromosomal evolution and diversity in pest fruit flies in Hilo, Hawaii.

The Tropical Pest Genetics and Molecular Biology Research Unit is seeking a highly motivated individual to use genomic tools to investigate sex chromosomes and large structural variation in Tephritidae to contribute to foundational and applied research that supports fruit fly pest management programs in the United States.

In this position, the incumbent will investigate genomic structure and characterization of sex chromosome structure and structural variants with applications to species and strain identification and insect diagnostics. The ideal candidate for this position will have a Ph.D. in biology, genetics, bioinformatics or a related field, with a strong background in genomics and molecular biology. Experience working on a command-line interface is required, experience working with insects, particularly tephritid fruit flies, is a plus. Candidates willing to relocate to Hilo, HI are preferred, but remote applicants who are a great fit will also be considered. Starting salary is $71,877 with health benefits and a negotiable relocation allowance. As a postdoctoral fellow at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), you have access to several high-performance computing clusters, training opportunities, and a large and active network of postdoctoral research fellows as your peers.

About us: The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) represents the research arm of the USDA and has about 100 research centers across the United States. The Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center is located on the east side of the Big Island (Hawaii Island), in the town of Hilo which has a population of about 50,000. Our in-house multimillion dollar genomics facility has a suite of state-of-the-art instrumentation, with the capacity for high-accuracy short-read sequencing, high-fidelity long-read sequencing, and ultra-long read sequencing, as well as supporting laboratory equipment such as automated liquid handling devices, automated nucleic acid isolation devices, and molecular diagnostics methods.

To apply, please send your CV, cover letter, and most recent peer-reviewed publication to sheina.sim@usda.gov.