Postdoctoral Fellowships in Sedimentary Ancient DNA – Call for Applications

Responsibilities (all positions)

Postdoctoral Fellows will:

• Lead an independent but collaborative research program within their thematic area (permafrost, marine, or bioinformatics), including experimental design, data generation, analysis, and manuscript preparation.
• Mentor and collaborate with PhD candidates and other trainees working on related sedaDNA projects (1–2 PhD and/or MSc students).
• Contribute to the Can-aDNA Network, including organizing and moderating online seminars, helping coordinate annual symposia, and engaging with the national community through the online forum.
• Spend time at both the Hakai Institute Biodiversity Genomics facilities on Quadra Island, BC (near Campbell River, Vancouver Island) and McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario), and at other collaborating institutions as needed. On-site accommodations are available for researchers at Hakai.
• Present research at national and international conferences and contribute to open, reproducible data and method sharing.

 

Qualifications

Required (all positions)

• PhD (completed or near completion) in a relevant field such as ancient DNA, molecular ecology, biomolecular archaeology, evolutionary genomics, bioinformatics, marine science, Quaternary science, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience with ancient or environmental DNA and/or high-throughput sequencing data, with contamination control for the wet-lab-heavy roles, or with large-scale sequence data analysis and pipelines for the bioinformatics role.
• Strong quantitative, analytical, and writing skills, with evidence of peer-reviewed publications commensurate with career stage.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-institution, interdisciplinary team and to mentor junior trainees.

Preferred, position-specific

• Permafrost PDF: Experience with permafrost, Quaternary geology, palaeoecology, or sedimentary archives; prior work with sedaDNA or ancient DNA strongly preferred.
• Marine PDF: Background in marine ecology, oceanography, marine genomics, or sedimentary records; familiarity with metabarcoding, ddPCR, or marine monitoring data is an asset.
• Bioinformatics PDF: Strong skills in programming (e.g., Python, R, Bash, machine learning), high-performance computing, and metagenomic analysis; prior work with classifier benchmarking or machine-learning approaches is an advantage.

We are committed to building an inclusive research environment and strongly encourage applications from members of equity-deserving and historically underrepresented groups.

Terms and compensation

• Appointment length: 2 years (with the possibility of extension subject to funding and performance, in accordance with institutional policies).
• Annual salary: CAD $70,000 plus benefits, provided in accordance with McMaster University guidelines.
• Postdoctoral fellows will be employees of McMaster University, working closely with and spending time at the Hakai Institute.
• Normal hours of work are 35 hours per week.

How to apply

Please submit the following as a single PDF file through McMaster’s MOSAIC system (links with descriptions above):

1. Cover letter (1–2 pages) describing:
   • Which position(s) you are applying for (Permafrost, Marine, Bioinformatics; you may indicate more than one in order of preference).
   • How your previous experience fits the project(s) and your research interests.
   • Your earliest possible start date and any constraints.
2. Curriculum vitae (including full publication list).
3. Contact information for 2–3 referees (no letters required at the initial stage).

Review of applications will begin on February 24, 2026 and continue until the positions are filled.

For more information

Informal inquiries about the positions or the Alliance project are welcome and can be directed to:

• Dr. Hendrik Poinar, McMaster Ancient DNA Centre <poinarh@mcmaster.ca>
• Dr. Tyler Murchie, Hakai Institute / McMaster University <tyler.murchie@hakai.org>