Dear all,
We are hiring! Looking for two post-doctoral researchers: one in ancient metagenomics and one in archaeogenomics to work on an ERC-funded project under the supervision of co-PI Dr. Christiana L. Scheib (Associate Professor of Ancient DNA). Your work will include several exciting research questions in the realm of human evolution, host-pathogen dynamics, microbiome and environmental studies. Come join our vibrant community at the ancient DNA research group which is located within the Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics (UTIG). We are a friendly, growing group focused on producing exemplary research in the fields of ancient human population genetics, pathogen genomics and the emerging field of ancient meta-genome/proteomics. There is ample cross-pollination with an international group of scientists who study populations genomics, personalised medicine, microbiomes, etc.
Details in the attachment and below.
Research Fellow in Ancient Human Population Genetics
https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/634618
Estonian Biocentre/Institute of Genomics, Ancient DNA Research Group.
Supervisor: Dr. Christiana L. Scheib
Deadline:
1.07.2021
Salary:
25,944 euros per year gross (negotiable dependent on experience). The position is funded for up to three years. For a cost of living comparison see: numbeo. Temporary part-time and remote working are possible.
Title: Making Ancestors: The Politics of Death in Prehistoric Europe
Project Description:
Traditionally, distinct political ranks in European prehistory have been identified through the differential treatment of individual burials. However, the connection between burial treatment and status is rarely so direct. Inequality may be evident through differential life chances, kinship, ritual or ancestorhood rather than through political command, wealth or identity. With this in mind, the EU-funded ANCESTORS project aims to test alternative models of prehistoric inequality and deathways. It will study social relations in life using osteobiography and explore deathways using funerary taphonomy. Combining the two methodologies will make it possible to connect ancient lives and deaths. The project’s results will provide insight into the ways that inequality affected lives in prehistoric Europe and the role that ancestors played in it.
Objective
How did politics and inequality work in prehistoric Europe? Traditionally, politics has been seen in terms of discrete political ranks identified through differential treatment of individual burials. But this results in classifying much of prehistory, where the dead were treated in ways which effaced individual identity, as egalitarian. The result is an artificially dichotomous history: Neolithic people had landscapes, rituals and ancestors, Bronze and Iron Age people had politics and inequality. In the last two decades this approach has been strongly critiqued. Burial treatment rarely relates to status so directly; the dead serve many different political roles. Inequality in pre-state groups rarely consists of clear strata; inequality and equality exist in tension within groups. Inequality may have been present throughout European prehistory, but manifest situationally through differential life chances, kinship, ritual or ancestorhood, rather than overtly through political command, wealth or identity. But this new perspective has never been tested empirically.
This project tests alternative models of prehistoric inequality and deathways. To investigate social relations in life, it uses osteobiography, reconstructing life stories from skeletons through scientific data on identity, health, diet, mobility and kinship. To understand deathways, it employs a second new methodology, funerary taphonomy. Combining osteobiography and taphonomy allows us to connect ancient lives and deaths. Peninsular Italy provides a substantial test sequence typical of much of Europe. For each of three key periods (Neolithic, 6000-4000 BC; Final Neolithic to Early Bronze Age, 4000-1800 BC; Middle Bronze Age to Iron Age, 1800-600 BC), 200+ individuals will be analysed. The results will allow us to evaluate for the first time how inequality affected lives in prehistoric Europe and what role ancestors played in it.
Your responsibilities will include the generation and analysis of ancient DNA shotgun libraries from bones and teeth for the burial sites covered by the project. You will work with another post-doc and one PhD student at the ancient DNA lab in Tartu to integrate metagenomics, proteomics and population genetics to further the aims of the project. You will also collaborate with our partners in Cambridge and Rome who will be providing the osteological and isotopic data. There will be opportunities for travel for conferences as well as project meetings.
About us
The ancient DNA research group at the Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics is a friendly, growing group focused on producing exemplary research in the fields of ancient human population genetics, pathogen genomics and the emerging field of ancient meta-genome/proteomics. The lab is headed by Dr. Scheib (Associate Professor of Ancient DNA) and includes Dr. Tambets (Associate Professor of Population Genetics), post-docs, PhD students, Master’s students and two laboratory technicians. You can check out our lab on Research Gate and the official UT website.
Duties and responsibilities
The research fellow will be carrying out research activity in the field of ancient DNA including the generation of ancient human DNA NGS libraries from tooth and bone samples, analysis of this data and writing publications.
Required qualifications
PhD in archaeogenetics, bioinformatics, bioarchaeology, biological anthropology, genetics, molecular biology, computer programming or related subjects. You must already have experience working in an ancient DNA cleanroom, knowledge of current wet lab protocols and bioinformatic analysis for population genetics.
Required language skills
English
Starting at
01.10.2021 as earliest
Workload
1,0
Additional information
Please contact Christiana Scheib: [log in to unmask] for information.
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Research Fellow in Ancient Metagenomics
https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/634621
Estonian Biocentre/Institute of Genomics, Ancient DNA Research Group.
Supervisor: Dr. Christiana L. Scheib
Deadline:
1.07.2021
Salary:
25,944 euros per year gross (negotiable dependent on experience). The position is funded for 18 months with possibility to extend. For a cost of living comparison see: numbeo. Part-time and/or remote working is possible.
Job Description:
Ancient metagenomics are an increasingly important aspect of archaeogenomics studies. As part of several large-scale projects including an ERC Advanced Grant, Making Ancestors: The Politics of Death in Prehistoric Europe, we are generating hundreds of ancient shotgun libraries from teeth, bones, dental calculus and sediment samples. We are looking for a post-doctoral researcher who can 1) build a metagenomic database and pipelines for analysis of dental calculus, bone and soil samples to infer dietary, environmental information and 2) analyse datasets generated by our ongoing projects. Research questions of interest to our group include host-pathogen dynamics (historical and deep-time), impact of human dietary and cultural changes on disease susceptibility, the relationship between the oral microbiome and human health, and the relationship between bone metagenomic characterisation and funerary rites.
About us
The ancient DNA research group at the Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics is a friendly, growing group focused on producing exemplary research in the fields of ancient human population genetics, pathogen genomics and the emerging field of ancient meta-genome/proteomics. The lab is headed by Dr. Scheib (Associate Professor of Ancient DNA) and includes Dr. Tambets (Associate Professor of Population Genetics), post-docs, PhD students, Master’s students and two laboratory technicians. You can check out our lab on Research Gate and the official UT website.
Duties and responsibilities
The research fellow will be carrying out research activity in the field of ancient DNA including the analysis of ancient metagenomic data and writing publications.
Required qualifications
PhD in archaeogenetics, bioinformatics, bioarchaeology, biological anthropology, genetics, molecular biology, computer programming or related subjects. You must have knowledge and experience of bioinformatic analysis and be proficient in Python 3 and shell scripting. Knowledge of other statistical languages such as R is helpful, though not required. You must have knowledge of and experience in dealing with large metagenomic datasets and experience with microbiome data would be ideal.
Required language skills
English
Starting at
01.08.2021 as earliest and 01.10.21 as latest
Workload
1,0
Additional information
Please contact Christiana Scheib: [log in to unmask] for information.
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