Postdoctoral Research Associate (Computational) - Infectious Diseases

A PhD level position is available ASAP in the Mitreva Lab (mitrevalab.wustl.edu ) at the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and McDonnell Genome Institute and Washington University School of Medicine. The candidate will be part of an established and successful research group focused on integrating ‘multi-omics’ approaches aimed at understanding infectious diseases at a systems biology level. The position requires working collaboratively with a team of experimental and computational biologists focused on integrating multidimensional biological data to better understand pathogen biology, ecology, host-pathogen interaction, epidemiology, transmission, etc.

Washington University School of Medicine (medicine.wustl.edu ) is one of the two main campuses of Washington University in St. Louis (wustl.edu ), a private research university founded in 1853. Mitreva Lab is in the McDonnell Genome Institute (genome.wustl.edu/ ) which has been at the forefront of genome research since its inception in 1993. We are a world-leader in genomics research as it applies to the study of model organisms and human biology, infections, genetic diseases, and the field of personalized medicine. We provide a value-added biologically and clinically relevant sequence analysis, and foster public understanding of science through various educational and outreach efforts.

The postdoctoral fellow will work on NIH-funded project focused on parasitic vector-borne disease caused by Onchocerca volvulus. O nchocerciasis (river blindness) is primarily endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated 197 million people at risk of infection. The project aims at identifying genetic markers and mechanisms of anthelmintic resistance to facilitate production of tools to tackle post-treatment recrudescence of infection, parasites emergence and spread. The candidate will be responsible for leading and carrying out this innovative project that involve population and functional genomics studies of these important parasites, and will have opportunities to travel and to present at national and international conferences.

Publications reflecting the research portfolio of Mitreva Lab:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=mitreva+m+or+mitreva-dautova+m

Minimum Requirements

• Graduate degree (Ph.D.) in computational biology or a related field.
• Solid background in molecular biology/genetics techniques, computational biology and biostatistics.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to be outstanding in drive, eagerness, and scientific imagination, as well as organized and self-motivated.
• Experience in genomics and bioinformatics.
• Experience in computational, statistical analysis and phylogenomics are particularly encouraged.
• Familiarity with frequently used bioinformatic tools (NGS aligners, GATK package, NCBI website tools, Ensembl, UCSC genome browser, Kinship, RNA-seq analysis tools, DEseq).
• Proficient in R and in programming languages (MATLAB, C#, and R), programs useful for high-throughput analysis (e.g. cytoscape), databases (MySQL, Oracle), and Perl scripting language.
• Comfortable working on UNIX/Linux platform.

Salary Range

Base pay is commensurate with experience.

Applicant Special Instructions

Interested candidates should email cover letter, curriculum vitae, summary of their research, one key first author publication and contact information for three recent references to: [email protected] .

Makedonka Mitreva, Ph.D.

Professor of Medicine and of Genetics

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine

Assistant Director, McDonnell Genome Institute

Director, Center for Clinical Genomics of Microbial Systems

Pre-Employment Screening
All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement
Washington University in St. Louis is committed to providing a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to our employees. Benefits eligibility is subject to employment status, full-time equivalent (FTE) workload, and weekly standard hours. Please visit our website at https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/ to view a summary of benefits.

EEO/AA Statement
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Washington University is dedicated to building a diverse community of individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive environment – fostering respect for all and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Individuals with a commitment to these values are encouraged to apply.