Undergraduate and Graduate Students

If you are are excited about the research of the lab, please contact us!!

If you are a recent graduate, you can also find more information about the Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution, or the Graduate Program in Oceanography. Please make sure that you contact us a few months in advance so we can discuss the details, including research interests and alternative sources of funding.



Postdoctoral Openings

If you are recent PhD or a postdoc, and are interested in any of the other topics described on this website, please contact us to discuss about your research plans. Current opening positions:

Postdoctoral position to study the plasticity of phytoplankton viruses

A postdoctoral position is available in the Bonachela lab (Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, DEENR, Rutgers University), in close collaboration with the Bidle and Thamatrakoln labs (Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, DMCS, Rutgers University), to investigate the phenotypic plasticity of phytoplankton viruses. The scholar will join a Simons Foundation project that aims to quantify and characterize the dependence of viral traits on the physiology of different marine phytoplankton hosts. 

Building on recent empirical and theoretical developments (see You et al, Journal of Bacteriology 2002; Choua and Bonachela, AmNat 2019), the successful candidate will work with the research team to develop and advance protocols to study the plasticity of viruses that infect different Chaetoceros diatom host systems in culture. This includes culturing diatoms in chemostats under different growth conditions; conducting infection experiments; and assessing one-step infection dynamics using an array of diagnostic molecular techniques, such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), flow cytometry, and qPCR. With that information, the successful candidate will measure viral traits, and use statistical analysis to characterize how these traits depend on host physiology.

We are looking for independent, creative, motivated individuals with a strong experimental and molecular biology background, coupled with a keen interest in theory. The successful candidate will also be expected to plan and develop their research, and disseminate results at national/international conferences and high-impact journals. The Bonachela lab is highly multidisciplinary and collaborative, so the candidate will be expected to contribute to (and benefit from!) such an environment. The New Jersey area and, specifically, Rutgers and the DEENR and DMCS departments offer a vibrant academic life and multiple opportunities for personal and professional development.

To apply for the position, please follow the instructions on https://jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/201470. Deadline 15/June/2023.

We encourage applications from members of groups underrepresented in STEM. Rutgers University is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. As an institution, we value diversity of background and opinion, and prohibit discrimination or harassment on the basis of any legally protected class in the areas of hiring, recruitment, promotion, transfer, demotion, training, compensation, pay, fringe benefits, layoff, termination or any other terms and conditions of employment. For additional information please see the Non-Discrimination Statement at the following web address: http://uhr.rutgers.edu/non-discrimination-statement