Location(s): La Jolla, California (USA) and/or Miami, Florida (USA)
Duration: 2 years, with the possibility of additional time dependent on performance & funding.
Start Date: Flexible. However, with intensive fieldwork anticipated in early 2026, the ideal candidate would begin by Fall 2025.
Position Description: Anela Choy (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego) and Hilary Close (Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami) are co-recruiting a postdoctoral scholar to research the role of mesopelagic animal gut microbiomes in transforming organic matter as it transits through the deep ocean water column. The successful candidate would carry out work as a member of a multi-institution, multidisciplinary collaboration funded by the Schmidt Sciences Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute (OBVI). The collaborative aims to refine our understanding of the biological controls on marine carbon flux and biogeochemical cycling of organic matter in oceanic food webs with integrated observations and ecosystem modeling. The Close and Choy labs are responsible for collecting and identifying midwater animals from epipelagic, mesopelagic and bathypelagic depths, quantifying community composition and animal trophic positions, and developing geochemical markers of gut contents and excreta.
Possible research areas include but are not limited to: characterizing the role of animal attributes including feeding, egestion, and vertical migration in carbon cycling, characterizing organic matter transformations and assimilation within animal guts, developing quantitative markers for animal digestion’s contribution to organic matter transformation and loss.
The postdoc will be co-mentored by Anela Choy and Hilary Close. This position is full-time (100% FTE), 12 months/year, and the salary will follow the UC Salary Scale rate matching year(s) of experience, though the potential appointment could be made through either UC San Diego or University of Miami. We expect the nature of this position to be in-person. Review of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. UC San Diego is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Required Qualifications:
- Ph.D. in marine ecology, biological oceanography, or marine chemistry – must be awarded by start date.
- A strong track record of problem solving, critical thinking, creativity and innovation.
- Demonstrated ability to work well independently and in diverse, collaborative teams.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and demonstrated record or aptitude for resource development and sharing.
- Scientific interest and curiosity in ocean biogeochemistry and food web ecology.
- Strong track record of writing peer-reviewed publications, especially as first author.
- Ability to travel internationally for oceanographic field work.
- Willingness to travel for up to one month, annually (in addition to research cruises), to conduct laboratory work and/or experiments.
Desirable Skills & Experience :
- Previous experience working aboard research vessels and/or the desire to work at sea for approximately one month at a time, annually. Experience with midwater trawling and sample processing is especially welcome.
- Previous experience with ecological and/or marine chemical data analysis using open source software (e.g., R, Python).
- Aptitude and willingness to work with mesopelagic animals, including taxonomic, morphological, and detailed dissection methodologies.
- Aptitude and willingness to perform detailed stable isotope measurements in analytical chemistry lab settings using GC-IRMS techniques.
Application Instructions: Qualified candidates should contact Anela Choy ( anela@ucsd.edu ) and Hilary Close ( hclose@miami.edu ) with the following materials compiled into a single PDF:
- a cover letter describing your interest in the position, your qualifications, and how the position relates to your career goals;
- a curriculum vitae, including a publication list;
- the names and contact information (emails and phone numbers) for at least three professional references.