We are seeking an outstanding Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work on a new project funded by the Royal Society Te Apārangi Marsden Fund, at the University of Otago, New Zealand:
This project seeks to test how seminal fluid exposure during mating influences a female mammal’s future fertility and rate of ageing. Previous research from our team has shown that female sexual experience, without pregnancy, enhances fertility and growth but reduces lifespan in mice. Other research in invertebrates and humans suggests that seminal fluid exposure could be the cause of these long-lasting effects, which will be directly tested in this project. The project will use a number of approaches to manipulate exposure to seminal fluid during mating, assessing how this influences the gestational development of subsequent offspring, total female fecundity and effects on ageing. Research in this project will provide insight into how male seminal fluid proteins influence female reproductive physiology and fitness, with relevance to both human fertility and the evolutionary roles of these proteins in sexual selection and conflict.
Skills and experience
Applications are invited from postdoctoral candidates who:
• Have experience in reproductive biology and/or life-history research.
• Have experience using rodent models.
• Are enthusiastic to work as part of a team on large scale, long-term mouse experiments, in addition to detailed individual studies of female fertility.
• Are highly self-motivated and able to work alongside a wide variety of people.
• Have a strong commitment to research excellence with a track record of high research productivity based on international, peer-reviewed publications commensurate for their career stage.
This is a full-time, fixed term position for three years from June/July 2022 or soon thereafter.
For more information and to apply see link or find on the University webpage:
https://otago.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=2200889
Please contact Dr. Mike Garratt, Department of Anatomy for more information: Mike.garratt@otago.ac.nz
