Postdoctoral Researchers

We are currently welcoming postdoctoral researchers with an interest in the use of genomic data to understand key aspects of the ecology and evolution of organisms with an emphasis on pathogens, their hosts and organisms like cacao. We strongly encourage applicants who are willing to apply for their own funding. We will work closely with you on your applications for funding. We are interested in postdocs with a wide variety of skills (e.g. molecular, experimental, theoretical), and interested in applying general ecological, and evolutionary principles to work on human genomics, microbial (gut and upper respiratory tract microbiome, Streptococcus spp.) and parasite genomics (malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax mainly), and plant genomics. (Theobroma cacaco, Anthurium spp.) Some potential sources for funding are: NSF’s Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology program, NIH’s Ruth L. Kirschtein National Research Service Awards scheme and the Human Frontier Science Program for a number of funding opportunities.

Graduate Students

Students interested in performing PhD studies in the lab will be trained in experimental approaches as well as the generation and analysis of next generation sequence data to answer questions on the demographic history, the impact of mutation/ recombination/ selection on the genomic variation organism. Furthermore, students will be trained in the formulation of questions and the design of studies to develop hypothesis driven research aimed at understanding the ecology and evolution of organisms. In collaboration with other faculty at EEB and the Genomics Institute at UCSC there are also opportunities to work on molecular and theoretical approaches to research the evolution of hosts and microbes. Potential graduate students should contact Omar E. Cornejo and apply through the graduate program offered at the Department of Ecology and Evolution at University of California Santa Cruz.  We are in one of the most amazing locations to do research and be close to nature!

Undergraduate Students

Our lab is interested in undergraduate students who are willing to spend valuable time in our lab, helping out with our research on undergoing projects. A strong interest in population genetics and genomics of organisms is a must. There are many different ways in which envision that undergraduate students can conduct research in our lab, and these include volunteering, work-study, research for credit, and College Scholars Programs.

High School Students and Teachers

We encourage high school students and teachers to approach us for summer research in our lab.