​Logan Rakes is starting a Masters in Ecology at the University of Tennessee Knoxville.  Best of luck!

Weston Gray recently joined our lab as a new lab manager.  Read more about him here.  Welcome, Weston!

Full time evolutionary genetics lab manager position with benefits (1-2 years)
 
The Erickson lab in the Department of Biology at the University of Richmond (Virginia) seeks to hire a full-time postbaccalaureate lab manager as part of an NIH-funded project to study rapid adaptation in an introduced species of insect, the African Fig Fly (Zaprionus indianus). The project aims to characterize genetic and phenotypic evolution across North American populations following introduction to new environments. The work will integrate field studies, population genetics, and laboratory studies of ecologically relevant traits. The position will consist of roughly 75% research functions (field collections, laboratory experiments to measure fitness-related phenotypes, and data analysis) and 25% lab manager duties (maintaining fly stocks, making fly food, ordering, and other routine lab maintenance). The position will require traveling to orchards in Virginia and out-of-state to conduct field collections of wild fruit flies; applicants should have a drivers’ license and be comfortable working outdoors as well as in the lab. A BS/BA in Biology or a related science, previous research experience (which may include field work, lab work and/or bioinformatics), interest in evolutionary genetics, strong communication skills, excellent organization skills, a willingness to work with undergraduate researchers, and a pleasant attitude are all requirements. Experience with R is strongly preferred. Experience with Drosophila husbandry is favorable but not a requirement. The position includes university benefits with health insurance. While a small amount of remote work may be possible, this position will generally require full-time work on campus at UR or in the field. This position is ideal for a candidate looking to gain more research experience and possibly publications before applying to a graduate program. The position has the possibility to be renewed once for a total of two years.
 
Both the Erickson Lab and Department of Biology value diversity, and the lab is a welcoming and inclusive place to work. We encourage applications from those who identify with groups historically underrepresented in STEM. 
 
Anticipated start date is the week of July 17th or July 24th, 2023.
 
Interested candidates should send a cover letter outlining their qualifications and interest in the position, a CV/resume, and names and contact information for three references to perickso[at]richmond[dot]edu with the subject line “Postbac Application”. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until a candidate is chosen. Address any questions to Dr. Erickson at the email above.  
 

Congrats to Jerry He, who won the Biology Department's Sophomore Research Award at the annual awards reception. Congrats also to Jillian who won the student-voted "Most likely to save the planet" award!

Three students from the Erickson lab presented at the University of Richmond Arts & Sciences Symposium on Friday, April 14th. Congrats to Jerry, Jillian, and Sam for their hard work on their projects and posters! Read more about the Arts and Sciences Symposium here

Check out our new preprint documenting our field work collecting Z. indianus over the past three years! Thanks to Logan Rakes for leading this effort and the many students and collaborators from the Bergland lab at UVA who helped to make it possible! https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.03.24.534156v1

Logan Rakes recently joined our lab as a new lab manager. Read more about him here. Welcome, Logan!

The Erickson lab in the Department of Biology at the University of Richmond seeks to hire a full-time postbaccalaureate lab manager as part of an NIH-funded project to study rapid adaptation in an introduced species of insect, the African Fig Fly (Zaprionus indianus). The project aims to characterize genetic and phenotypic evolution across North American populations following introduction to new environments. The work will integrate field studies, next generation sequencing, population genetics, and laboratory studies of ecologically relevant traits. The position will consist of roughly 75% research functions (field collections, laboratory experiments to measure fitness-related phenotypes, data analysis, bioinformatic analysis) and 25% lab manager duties (maintaining fly stocks, making fly food, ordering, and other routine lab maintenance). The position will require traveling to orchards in Virginia and out-of-state to conduct field collections of wild fruit flies; applicants should be comfortable working outdoors as well as in the lab. The anticipated start date is as soon as possible, possibly before the end of July, but later dates are also possible. A BS/BA in Biology or a related science, previous research experience (which may include field work, lab work and/or bioinformatics), interest in evolutionary genetics, strong communication skills, excellent organization skills, a willingness to work with undergraduate researchers and a pleasant attitude are all requirements. Experience with Drosophila husbandry and/or working with next generation sequencing data is favorable but not required. The position includes university benefits including health insurance. While a small amount of remote work may be possible, this position will generally require full-time work on campus at UR. This position is ideal for a candidate looking to gain more research experience before applying to a graduate program. The position has the possibility to be renewed for up to three years.
 
Both the Erickson Lab and Department of Biology value diversity, and the lab is a welcoming and inclusive place to work. We encourage applications from those who identify with groups historically underrepresented in STEM. 
 
Interested candidates should send a cover letter outlining their qualifications and interest in the position and a CV/resume to perickso[at]richmond[dot]edu with the subject line “Postbac Application”. Review of applications will begin 6/27/2022. Address any questions to Dr. Erickson at the email above.  

Welcome to Jerry He, Jillian Yates, and Sam Morgan who are joining the lab this summer!

Dr. Erickson was recently awarded $400,000 from the National Institutes of Health to fund Zaprionus research. Read more here.