Tenure-Track: Assistant Professors of Comparative Genomics

Description

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (COALS) at Texas A&M University (TAMU) invites applicants for two fully budgeted, 9-month full-time, tenure-track faculty positions at the Assistant Professor level in comparative genomics (Departments of Animal Science and Entomology). This recruitment is part of a cluster hire for the new Center for Comparative Genomics (CCGEN) in collaboration with the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) and Texas A&M AgriLife Research.We seek energetic individuals applying innovative comparative genomic approaches, leveraging long-read sequencing technologies and pangenomic concepts, to better understand the genomic architecture of complex traits, disease conditions, and adaptation in managed and natural populations of agriculturally important vertebrates and/or arthropods. One position will be housed in the Department of Animal Science, and the other in the Department of Entomology. The anticipated start date is August 3, 2026. Salary and start-up packages will be competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications.

We are particularly seeking individuals with research experience in any of the following four thematic areas:

Vertebrate/Arthropod genomics. Individuals using whole genome comparisons to connect genetic variation to phenotypes relevant to disease and/or toxin susceptibility/resistance, morphology, reproduction, meat animal end product characteristics, feed or water utilization, other characterizations of adaptation, and environmental impact.

Developmental genomics. Individuals leveraging comparisons between distantly related organisms with complete genome assemblies aimed at identifying the fundamental units of gene regulation that dictate development and organismal health and applying this knowledge in a translational framework.

Biodiversity & Conservation genomics. Individuals applying cutting-edge comparative genomic methods at the population and species levels to assess the genetic health of threatened and endangered livestock breeds and other species (beneficials) or invasive species (pests) to improve population management/control.

Structure and function of complex genomic regions. Individuals studying the function and diversity of genomic “dark matter” in complex eukaryotic genomes, including retroelement and satellite variation in normal physiology and disease.

The successful applicants will join a vibrant group of highly collaborative and productive scientists working in the field of comparative genomics across numerous animal species. Faculty members working in this area are distributed primarily across multiple departments in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. These faculty members are integral to the broader TAMU Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics and Genomics (GGEN), a collaborative and nationally and internationally influential group of and their trainees from twenty departments in six colleges. The faculty is supported by state-of-the-art next-generation and computational infrastructure housed in the . Beyond the genetics and genomics community, broad collaborative opportunities are available across campus, including the potential to work with clinical veterinarians within the VMBS, and members of interdisciplinary faculties in reproductive biology, toxicology, ecology & evolutionary biology, environmental hhealth, and neuroscience.

The successful candidates will be expected to develop and sustain a vigorous extramurally funded research program. In addition, candidates will be expected to contribute to recruiting and training graduate students in either the GGEN Ph.D. program or the relevant Ph.D. programs in their home Department (Animal Science or Entomology). They will also be expected to teach at the undergraduate and/or graduate-level, conditional on the candidate’s interests and departmental/programmatic needs. The successful candidates will also contribute to departmental and university-wide service efforts.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Texas A&M is a Tier 1 research university and one of the largest universities in the United States, with more than 4,300 faculty members and the third-largest student body in the Nation, according to the 2025 U.S. News and World Report. The Fall 2024 enrollment reached a total of 79,114 students. Texas A&M is a flagship land grant, sea grant, and space grant university, ranked 13th among public universities in the National Science Foundation’s most recent (2023) Higher Education Research and Development Survey (HERD) with annual expenditures of nearly $1.278 billion in fiscal year 2023. Texas A&M is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), one of only 69 research institutions with this distinction. In 2025, Texas A&M was ranked as the #1 public university in Texas and #11 in the United States by the Wall Street Journal. The Bryan-College Station area makes up a community of approximately 198,000 residents, boasts a low cost of living, a sunbelt environment, and is consistently ranked among the best places to live in the country. The twin city area is known for its family-friendly environment, affordable living, and proximity to four major Texas cities: Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas.

Qualifications

Applicants must have a PhD degree and relevant postdoctoral experience in the life sciences or related field and a track record of research excellence in the field of genetics and genomics or related field. Candidates must have a strong track record of peer-reviewed publications and compelling insights suggesting strong potential to obtain competitive extramural funding to support their research. Evidence of potential for quality teaching and mentorship are also required.