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Title/Functional Title: Post-Doctoral Associate, JIFSAN/Microbiome Center

Salary Starting at: $65,000 – 75,000

Work Location: University of Maryland Research Park


Position Summary:

The Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) at the University of Maryland (UMD), in collaboration with the UMD Center of Excellence in Microbiome Sciences, invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in food safety microbiology and microbial genomics. We seek a highly motivated recent PhD graduate with expertise spanning both computational and experimental biology.

JIFSAN, an FDA Center of Excellence, promotes research, education, and outreach in food safety, food security, and applied nutrition. The UMD Center of Excellence in Microbiome Sciences is an interdisciplinary research community that unites faculty and students across UMD colleges and schools to advance microbiome science through emerging technologies, data innovation, and evidence-based solutions that support human, animal, and environmental health.

The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research team led by Professors Mihai Pop (Department of Computer Science) and Jianghong Meng (Department of Nutrition and Food Science). The research program focuses on foodborne pathogens, microbial genomics, microbiome science, and AI-driven large-scale data analysis for food safety applications.

Professor Pop’s laboratory develops novel algorithms and software tools for the analysis of biological and microbiome data. His group has created widely used bioinformatics tools, including the sequence aligner Bowtie, the metagenomic assembler MetaCarvel, and the microbiome statistics package metagenomeSeq. Current research efforts focus on understanding strain-level variation within microbial communities and investigating how database errors influence downstream analytical pipelines.

This position offers an outstanding opportunity to engage in cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research with strong relevance to both academia and industry. The successful candidate will work in a highly collaborative environment at the intersection of microbiology, genomics, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence, with opportunities for professional development, publication, and collaboration across multiple scientific disciplines.


Responsibilities:


  • • Conduct independent and collaborative research projects under general guidance while demonstrating the ability to design, execute, and troubleshoot experiments independently. (45%)
  • • Apply computational and experimental approaches to investigate foodborne pathogens and microbial genomics. Utilize AI and big data analysis tools for microbial genomics research and data interpretation. (20%)
  • • Develop and optimize scientific methodologies and analytical techniques relevant to the research objectives. (15%)
  • • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across microbiology, bioinformatics, and food safety research areas. (15%)
  • • Prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Present research findings at leading national and international scientific conferences. (5%)


Minimum Qualifications:


  • • Education: Ph.D. degree in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a related field.
  • • Experience: Experience in computational biology, bioinformatics, genomics, or AI applications in biological research. Experimental laboratory experience in microbiology and/or molecular biology.
  • • Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Strong interest and background in microbial genomics and food safety microbiology. Demonstrated ability to work independently and think critically. Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and scientific writing abilities. Excellent communication and teamwork skills.


Preferred Qualifications:


  • • Experience working with microbial genome sequencing and comparative genomics
  • • Familiarity with machine learning or AI applications for biological data analysis
  • • Experience handling large-scale biological datasets and high-performance computing environments


Physical Demands of the Position:


  • • Predominantly sedentary work.
  • • Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.
  • • Repetitive motions.
  • • Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
  • • The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading.
  • • Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another.
  • • The person in this position needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
  • • Ability to use analytical instrumentation and computers in a laboratory environment.


Additional Information:

Required Application Materials:
Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, List of References (including name, phone number, and email), Unofficial Transcript, Writing Sample (e.g. Project/class report primarily written by applicant as opposed to co-authored publications), Code Samples (e.g. link to code repository primarily developed by applicant).

All applications must be submitted via the UMCP Workday job board for the posting at the following link:
https://umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/details/Post-Doctoral-Associate--JIFSAN-Microbiome-Center_JR104386

Applications sent by email or through any other medium will not be accepted. Please visit the above link for full job posting information and University of Maryland requirements including background check and employment eligibility.

Best Consideration Date: August 16, 2026
Posting Close Date: N/A
Open Until Filled: Yes