Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Computational Biology with a focus on Spatial Omics

The Nirmal laboratory at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital is looking for a highly talented and self-motivated computational biologist to join our team for an NIH-funded post-doctoral position. Our group combines experimental and computational approaches to build spatial atlases of the tumor microenvironment and uncover molecular underpinnings of oncogenesis and drug resistance in melanoma, providing an excellent environment for interdisciplinary research training.

Our team comprises members from diverse backgrounds such as genetics, medicine, engineering, computer science, and statistics. We employ cutting-edge technologies such as highly multiplexed imaging, spatial transcriptome, high-resolution 3D imaging, micro-regional sequencing, and single-cell omics, in combination with novel statistical and machine learning approaches to systematically delineate regulatory mechanisms that underlie tumor development and drug resistance, offering excellent opportunities in cross-training to further expand your skills. The prospective postdocs will have the opportunity to work on one or more funded projects using cutting-edge technologies and collaborate with multiple groups across Harvard Medical School, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Highly motivated candidates with a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. in Genetics, Genomics, Molecular, and Cell biology, or a closely related field with substantial computational experience are encouraged to apply. Previous experience in melanoma and spatial data analysis is highly desirable. Candidates should be scientifically curious and capable of working independently. The fellow would be expected to present/attend national scientific conferences and draft research manuscripts of their findings and would be encouraged to apply for independent fellowships.

Key Job Duties:

• Plans, directs, and conducts specialized and advanced research experiments.
• Develop novel computational methods, evaluate, and analyze data.
• Summarizes research findings and publishes results in high-impact research journals.
• Assumes responsibility for laboratory operations.
• Oversees technical research staff.

Minimum Qualifications:

• MD or Ph.D. in Basic Science, Health Science, Computational Biology, or a related field.
• Programming experience in Python and R.
• Familiarity with command line interface and Linux operating system.
• Familiarity with standard bioinformatic analysis (single-cell, transcriptomics, and genomics).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior expertise in studying melanoma.
• Experience with multiplexed imaging, spatial transcriptomics, and single-cell omics.
• Familiarity with image processing, machine learning, and deep learning methods.

At the Nirmal Lab, we believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are crucial elements that are integral to achieving the highest standards of scientific excellence. Along with our unwavering commitment to these values, we recognize that helping you achieve your career goals is just as important as fostering scientific excellence in the lab. Therefore, we prioritize promoting academic freedom, offering strong mentorship, and providing vast networking opportunities. We also offer experimental support from our team of research technicians and scientists. Furthermore, co-mentorship is possible in certain cases, allowing you to gain additional guidance and support in your research pursuits.

We anticipate the start date to be in the summer of 2023, although it is flexible. Interested candidates should email a brief cover letter indicating their research interests, experience, and career goals, a CV, and contact information for three references to Matthew Opperman (mopperman@bwh.harvard.edu).

Come be a part of our dynamic and vibrant research team.

Ajit Johnson Nirmal Ph.D.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Harvard Medical School