PostDoc in Re-sequencing C. canephora Genotypes
We are looking for a highly motivated young scientist specialized in
bio-informatics (NGS data management, programming and modeling) and with
good knowledge in genomics to apply for a post-doctoral position at the
UNESP (Universidade Estadual Paulista) laboratory of Molecular Evolution
in São José do Rio Preto (Brazil), through a post-doctoral program
sponsored by a Brazilian Funding Agency. Portuguese is not mandatory;
the working language will be English.
The post-doctoral position will aim to analyze the data obtained from
the re-sequencing of different Coffea canephora genotypes representative
of the natural genetic diversity of this species in Africa. It will
take advantage of the forthcoming publication of the model genome of
C. canephora and a long experience of the collaborative network involved
in this project. The application must include a project, already defined
but which will be implemented by the candidate with great support from the
participating teams and should be completed according to the candidate’s
research experiences.
The position is for one year renewable once.
Candidates must send their CV and a cover letter to Claudia
Marcia Carareto (carareto@ibilce.unesp.br), Valérie
Poncet (valerie.poncet@ird.fr) and Alexandre de Kochko
(alexandre.dekochko@ird.fr) ASAP.
Coffee is the world’s second largest agricultural commodity and
agricultural employment. Brazil is the first coffee producer worldwide;
it is also an important consumer. Coffea canephora (Robusta) provides 33%
of the global coffee production and 22% of the Brazilian coffee production
(2013). Climate change (warming and changes in rainfall patterns) may
have strong negative impacts on coffee production. The world’s foremost
climate science group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC 2014)1, has indeed included the negative effects of warming on
coffee as part of a landmark report on the global impacts of climate
change. Adaptive strategies to mitigate these effects may largely depend
on our knowledge of how crops respond to climate variability and on the
availability of genetic resources within wild populations. But in spite of
this threat, climate effects on coffee tree yields and genetic diversity
for adaptive traits have so far been poorly analyzed or only partially
on specific cultivated varieties. Moreover, even though C. canephora not
being the most preferred coffee on the market, it constitutes the highest
genetic diversity in the Coffea genus and therefore exploring its genetic
background in relation to physiological adaptability offers the highest
opportunity for improving and sustaining coffee productivity worldwide.
In the proposed research we will address the issue of Coffea canephora
resilience by:
Assessing the genetic diversity and structural genomic differences in
C. canephora by analyzing data issued from the resequencing of a set
of wild genotypes representative of the species genetic structure. In
addition, partial resequencing (GBS) of a large set of both cultivated and
wild genotypes is also conducted; cultivated Brazilian genotypes (Conilon)
are part of this effort. The postdoctoral fellow will take a particular
attention to the possible variations of alleles and/or paralogs linked
to the species adaptive capability provoked by possible insertions of
mobile elements. A particular attention will be paid to genes potentially
involved in drought tolerance. Evolutionary scenarios will also be drawn
to explain phylogenetic relationships within C. canephora and define
the present mechanisms involved in its genetic differentiation.
The project will take advantage of the first C. canephora genome to be
publicized soon.