Genetic improvement of wheat is critical to food security, nutrition value, and sustainable agriculture. However, attempts to accelerate wheat breeding is beset by the shrinking diversity in the breeding pool, leaving wheat with very limited breeding plasticity, and open to the threats of pests, pathogens and abiotic stresses. To identify those untapped functional alleles, it would be invaluable to explore the enormous diversity from relatively wild populations (e.g. progenitors, landraces, etc.). Lu Lab (http://plantgeneticslab.weebly.com/) has collected nearly 5,000 diverse wheat lines. Performing a diversity survey will be the first step to utilize the untouched functional alleles with breeding benefit.  

　　The Lu Lab is seeking an outstanding and highly motivated individual to conduct a whole-genome-sequencing based diversity survey in wheat. The main goals of the project are to unveil the diversity of wheat, and to understand how the genome/diversity was shaped during the evolutionary trajectory of selection, migration, and polyploidy events. 

　　Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB, http://www.genetics.ac.cn/) is a world-leading research institute. The successful candidate will benefit greatly from leading the pioneering work in wheat genomics, and accessing to all the state-of-art facilities in IGDB. The candidate will also have the opportunities to present in international conferences, and to be promoted to senior positions in IGDB. 

　　Applicants with background from genomics/population genetics/molecular evolution/computational biology are welcome to apply. Strong skills in computer programming is highly appreciated.  

　　Qualified candidates are invited to send the CV, cover letter, and contacts of three references to Dr. Fei Lu (flu@genetics.ac.cn). Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.