Dr. Zhang’s Food Microbiology at the University of Florida is recruiting graduate students seeking M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Food Science starting in Spring 2023. This fully-funded graduate assistantship provides a competitive stipend with a tuition waiver and standard UF graduate student benefits.

We seek highly motivated candidates with a strong multidisciplinary background, work ethics, and productivity. The Food Microbiology Lab integrates microbial omics, machine learning, nanotechnology, and biointerface science to study pathogen persistence mechanisms and develop new surveillance and intervention strategies. Current research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Defense (DoD) include:

1. Nondestructive surveillance using machine learning-enabled sensor array;
2. Nanopore transcriptome sequencing and microbial transcriptomics;
3. Biointerface science and mechanism-based intervention of pathogen biofouling, biofilm, and cross-contamination.

Qualifications Required:

Required: B.S. or M.S. (for Ph.D. applicants, degrees from an accredited university (foreign equivalent acceptable) in Food Science, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genomics, or closely-related disciplines. Strong oral and written communication skills.

Preferred: Candidates with prior experiences in one or more of the following areas are encouraged to apply: genomics; bioinformatics; data analytics and statistics; basic programming skills (e.g., Python, R, MATLAB, etc.).

Application Information

Interested individuals should email the following materials to Dr. Boce Zhang at boce.zhang@ufl.edu for pre-evaluation:

1. Personal statement & research interests
2. Detailed CV with lab skills applicants from non-native English
3. English proficiency test scores
4. B.S. / M.S. transcripts (unofficial) speaking countries)

Application Information For more information about our graduate degrees and applicant/admission process, please visit httos://sfhn.ifas.ufl.edu/current-studentskraduate/.

Other information regarding equality and diversity, UF accreditation, research, and academic offerings is available at https://gradcatalog.ufl.edu/graduate.