Post-Doctoral Fellow

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Unit: School Of Medicine MBU

Department: Psychiatry

Duties & Responsibilities:

A postdoctoral position is available at the VIPBG to study phenotypic and genetic etiology of complex traits, including neuropsychiatric and substance disorders. Candidates should have experience with computational and statistical approaches for analyzing phenotypic and genetics data. Candidates who have strong backgrounds in statistical and/or machine learning approaches and are interested in studying these traits are also encouraged to apply.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will analyze and/or develop pipelines to analyze phenotypic and genetic data generated from two primary sources:

• The Asian Bipolar Genetics Network (A-BIG-NET, https://abignet.org/). A-BIG-NET is a study designed to advance our understanding of the genetic basis of bipolar disorder in Asian populations with a large, multi-national sample collection. It is a collaborative grant among the Broad Institute, National Taiwan University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Johns Hopkins University, with investigators from the United States, India, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
• Biobank and Public Datasets: Large-scale biobank data (e.g., the UK Biobank, the All of Us Research Program) and other relevant public datasets.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Candidates should hold an M.D. or Ph.D. in quantitative psychology, genetics, statistics, computational biology, bioinformatics, or a similar quantitative discipline. Essential qualifications include a strong publication record in the genetics and genomics of complex traits. Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or R and experience with high-performance computing (HPC) environments are also required. Prior experience with genome-wide association studies (GWAS) or next-generation sequencing studies is necessary.

• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with neuropsychiatric and substance use disorders (or other complex traits)
• Experience with machine learning approaches
• Experience with Bayesian data analysis
• Experience with the development and implementation of new computational tools for complex traits.
• Experience with genetics analysis tools (e.g., PLINK, SAIGE)
• A proven ability to work independently while also thriving in a collaborative research environment.
• Strong critical and independent thinking skills.

The VIPBG is an exciting, highly collaborative research environment with a strong record of funding, research and training. We focus on some of the most challenging and important problems in all of bio-medicine, and we have contributed some of the most important findings in psychiatric and behavioral genetics in our >25 year history. We look forward to future successes with new projects, faculty, trainees and collaborations. The application will be co-mentored by Drs. Kendler and Nguyen, and their collaborators.

Contact

Interested candidates may reach out to Tan Hoang Nguyen at tanhoang.nguyen@vcuhealth.org and Kenneth Kendler at kenneth.kendler@vcuhealth.org 

Position will remain open until filled. This will be a minimum one-year appointment, contingent upon satisfactory annual reviews. Salary is commensurate with NIH guidelines and applicant experience.

VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will include a veteran's period(s) of military service in the calculation of their annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!

Salary Range:NIH minimum starting at $62,232

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

ORP Eligible: Yes

Rank: Non Faculty