We have arrived!

We are busy settling into our new spaces at Trent University. My office is starting to feel more familiar (and I really can’t argue with the huge window, natural light, and views that are not the rooftop technical ventilation system like at OVC). I will miss the sound of the horses downstairs.

I am working to get our lab space set up. It’s a great space with large windows, a private postdoc office, and lots of space for storing our equipment and also for setting up our computer hardware to ensure that everyone in the team has dedicated, protected workspace with computer monitors and docking stations (to make coding much less painful).

We can also hold our lab meetings in our new space without having to book a room. These are some photos from today. It needs some attention but the “bones” are amazing and we will get it into shape this winter.

Are you looking for a great group to join as a postdoctoral fellow?

Postdoctoral Fellow - OPEN Stewardship: An Online Platform for Expanding Antimicrobial Stewardship

The successful applicant will be involved in a research program that will apply both qualitative and quantitative methods to the area of veterinary antimicrobial stewardship. The successful applicant will work with a large, international team to develop and assess an open, web-based system that allows for advanced stewardship interventions in the form of feedback and benchmarking as well as sharing of best practice guidelines and patterns of antibiotic resistance (https://www.jpiamr.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2017-066-Abstract.pdf). The postdoctoral fellow will be specifically focused on research to support veterinary professionals. 

Applicants should have significant experience in veterinary medicine, epidemiology, and/or population health. The successful candidate will have excellent English language communication skills (both verbal and written), experience conducting research in a highly interdisciplinary environment, and prior experience writing scientific articles. Strong analytical skills are an asset. Applicants must be within 3 years of having completed their PhD or DVSc in a field that is relevant to the research project (e.g. epidemiology, biology, population medicine). Preference will be given to applicants who also hold a DVM degree and who have experience working with veterinary professionals in a research environment. The initial appointment will be for one year. Extension of the appointment for the second year is possible, but subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance during the first year. The salary will be commensurate with the experience of the candidate in the range of $45,000 to $50,000 CDN (including benefits).

The starting date is August 2018, or as soon as possible thereafter.Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Incomplete applications will not be considered and only selected applicants will be contacted for an interview.

Application Deadline: June 18, 2018

How to apply:

Applicants must submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a one-page summary of research experience that specifically addresses the applicants interest in veterinary antimicrobial stewardship. Applicants should also submit contact information for at least two individuals who can provide letters of recommendation to:

Dr. Amy Greer
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Population Disease Modeling, and Assistant Professor
Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College
University of Guelph
agreer@uoguelph.ca
www.mathepilab.org

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.  At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

Math.Epi.Lab retreat and our first lab meeting of the semester

Over the summer, I have focused my own professional development on productivity and strategic planning within a academic research environment. I was motivated to spend some time thinking abut this after realizing that our research team has grown substantially with upwards of ten members starting this fall. I read this paper in Molecular Cell and felt motivated to put a version of this plan into action this fall as a way to improve our team productivity and communication. 

On Friday September 15th, we spent the day working together as a group, discussing tools that we can we can use to make our research time more productive and efficient so that we are better able to balance our research, and teaching responsibilities with our personal lives. We also spent a considerable amount of time working on individual strategic plans for the fall semester. We will meet again in December to evaluate how well we were able to put our strategic plans into action over the course of the semester. Personally, I have found that my semester plan has helped me to prioritize my tasks and I feel much better organized as a result. 

This week we also had our first lab meeting led by Emma. We had a great discussion with each person bringing and presenting a paper from the peer-reviewed literature that was important to their development as a scientist. It was a great first lab meeting! At our next lab meeting Rachael is going to teach the group how to work with R markdown.