Post-Doc Research Associate

University of North Carolina, United States

Updated: about 1 year ago
Location: Chapel Hill, NORTH CAROLINA
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 21 Apr 2023

Posting Information
Posting Details


Department Genetics - 423501
Posting Open Date 03/09/2023
Application Deadline 04/21/2023
Open Until Filled No
Position Type Postdoctoral Scholar
Position Title Post-Doc Research Associate
Vacancy ID PDS003773
Full-time/Part-time Full-Time Temporary
Hours per week 40
FTE 1
Work Location Chapel Hill, NC
Position Location North Carolina, US
Hiring Range Dependent on experience
Proposed Start Date 05/01/2023
Estimated Duration of Appointment 12 Months

Position Information


Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit
The mission of the Genetics department is to provide basic and applied genetic/genomic research, education, and training at the interface between biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, mathematics, the social sciences, public health, and medicine to have a profound effect on how medicine will be practiced in the future.
Our graduate programs train students to be creative, sophisticated research scientists prepared to pursue careers focused on genetics and genomics working in academic science, government, or commercial positions. Students conduct their dissertation research using diverse experimental approaches – from classical genetics to the most modern molecular methods – to address a broad range of contemporary problems in biomedical science.
The Department also includes a clinical arm focused on medical genetics, which covers the broad spectrum of clinical genetic research from disease prevention to diagnosis and treatment. This specialty includes evaluation, mutation discovery, counseling and risk assessment through analysis and genetic testing. Locating the clinical group alongside basic scientists facilitates integration of cutting-edge genetic research with patient care.
Position Summary
The Raffield lab in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Department of Genetics is seeking a candidate for Postdoctoral Research Associate with a background in Human Genetics, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or a related field. The individual will be responsible for large-scale genomic and multi-omic analyses of traits related to cardiometabolic disease and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, with a focus on underrepresented populations.
Our lab has expertise in analysis of large-scale genomic and multi-omic data, including genome-wide association studies, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data. The successful candidate will join strong existing collaborative projects of scientists at multiple institutions across the US and globally. The UNC Department of Genetics ranked first in NIH funding among Genetics departments in public schools of medicine for 2019 and provides a collegial, supportive mentoring environment. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and will be equal to or exceed NIH postdoctoral stipends. Medical insurance and benefits will be in accordance with UNC standard postdoctoral benefits (https://research.unc.edu/postdoctoral-affairs/).
Postdoctoral Research Associates will have the opportunity to lead multiple projects and would work with Dr. Raffield to create a multi-year plan to maximize scientific productivity, pursue independent grant funding, and progress towards an independent career. Potential projects include:
Analysis of gene expression and protein QTLs in blood/plasma in diverse populations, including the Jackson Heart Study, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and Women’s Health Initiative and additional cohorts from the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) consortium.
Analysis of predictors of COVID-19 susceptibility and immune response to vaccination in Collaborative Cohort of Cohorts for COVID-19 Research (C4R) consortium.
Genetic and epidemiological analysis of inflammation and thrombosis related biomarkers for cardiometabolic disease and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Development of polygenic risk scores for clinical lab measures across diverse populations, as part of the newly formed NHGRI Polygenic RIsk MEthods in Diverse populations (PRIMED) consortium.
Leadership in cross-cohort ‘omics analyses in NHLBI’s Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Initiative.
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
PhD in Genetics, Epidemiology, Biostatistics/Statistics, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related field
Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience
An individual with strong scientific communication skills who is highly motivated by team science and is enthusiastic about pursuing multicenter collaborative projects. The candidate should have experience analyzing large genomic datasets and/or experience with epidemiological analysis in cohort and biobank studies, particularly for high throughput ’omics datasets (metabolomics, proteomics, etc).
Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience
Experience working with large datasets on high performance computing clusters or cloud computing environments.
Special Physical/Mental Requirements
Special Instructions
For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services click here
Quick Link https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/251769

Posting Contact Information


Department Contact Name and Title Lisa Thompson, HR Consultant
Department Contact Telephone or Email [email protected]
Postdoctoral Affairs Contact Information

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the University’s Equal Employment Opportunity office at (919) 966-3576 or send an email to [email protected].

Please note: The Equal Employment Opportunity office will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.

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