Postdoc / research scientist in bioinformatics and computational genomics – Boston, United States

Are you a computer geek with a strong interest in genomics? Do you want to use your computational skills to solve human diseases? At the Department of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, we have two vacant positions: postdoctoral fellow and research scientist in computational genomics. The vacancies are well supported by NIH grants and institutional funds. The candidate will work in an interdisciplinary environment together with world-class scientists in bioinformatics, neurology, and basic neuroscience.

1. 1. Postdoc in Computational Genomics: This position is funded by a five-year NIH R01 grant. We will study neurodegenerative diseases using an iPSC-derived brain organoid model and generate multimodal high-dimensional time-series data of transcriptome, proteomics, electrophysiology of both extracellular vesicles (EVs) and the cells. Total RNAs will be measured for EVs using the latest method we developed (Chen et al. Nature Methods, 2021). Single-cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq will also be conducted for the generated organoids. Meanwhile, we will apply a high-throughput 3D mini-brain platform to capture the organoid’s electrophysiology signals in a real-time manner. Gene regulatory networks associated with brain development and neurodegenerative diseases will be derived, including the novel regulatory non-coding RNAs based on our recent publications (e.g., Dong et al., Nature Neuroscience, 2018; Chen et al. Nature Methods, 2021). We are looking for someone with a passion for neurological diseases and experience in NGS data analysis and multi-omics data integration. Skills in high-dimensional data visualization or time-series data modeling are a plus. A background in developmental biology or neurological diseases is a plus.
   2. Research Scientist in Bioinformatics: This Research Scientist position will be offered a competitive salary and benefits and is expected to provide bioinformatics service and support to the faculty in the HMS and Brigham community. As a full-time employee in the well-funded Genomics and Bioinformatics Hub (https://bioinformatics.bwh.harvard.edu/service/), the candidate will work with the director to develop bioinformatics pipelines for NGS data (e.g., bulk tissue and single-cell RNAseq, ATAC-seq, WGS/WES, ChIP-seq, Hi-C, etc.), provide both standard and customized data analysis service and bioinformatics training to the community. Experience in processing raw FASTQ files is required. Fluent coding/debugging in R, Linux bash, and one of the other languages (e.g., Python, Perl, C/C++, or MATLAB) is required. Experience in workflow/pipeline construction (e.g., Snakemake, CWL/WDL), cloud computing (e.g., AWS, GCP), Docker, or Conda is a plus. The abilities to generate summarized reports, communicate with lab scientists effectively, excellent time management, and adaptive attitudes to new technologies and tools are key characteristics of an ideal candidate.

Other requirements of the qualification. We want you to have (1) one prior original article published as the first author; (2) a Ph. D. or equivalent doctoral degree (preferably in bioinformatics, computer science, or statistical genetics); (3) research experience in bioinformatics and analyses of genome-wide data; (4) strong quantitative skills preferably in computer science, bioinformatics, or statistics are necessary; (5) fluent programming skill in R & bash & (Python | Perl | C | C++ | MATLAB); (6) excellent written and spoken English. Candidates dedicated to succeeding in an academic research career are preferred and such career paths are available.

Apply. Please submit (1) your CV, (2) a cover letter outlining your motivation, goals, strength, and weakness, and (3) contact information for three references to Dr. Xianjun Dong (xdong@rics.bwh.harvard.edu), and cc to our administrative assistant Sherri Schwaninger at sschwaninger@bwh.harvard.edu.