Postdoctoral Fellow-Biostatistician
Position Summary
Postdoctoral fellow biostatistician (henceforth fellow) position in Psychiatric Genetics in analysis/curation of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in human/animal models and comorbid traits in humans. The Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics (VIPBG) of Virginia Commonwealth University is hiring a 2-year term (a one-year extension possible based on performance) postdoctoral researcher bioinformatician fellow as early as June 2023. VIPBG offers a rich multidisciplinary training environment in molecular and statistical genetics, epidemiology, psychology and psychiatry. Training is tailored to the experience and needs of the fellow, and has an emphasis on collaborative research. The primary research aim of this fellowship is to leverage large-scale genetic and biobank data to advance the understanding of risk factors for psychiatric disorders including major depression and alcohol use disorder. We are seeking a data scientist/fellow with an interest in applying statistical genetics and bioinformatics. Strong candidates will have excellent programming and data analytic skills, knowledge of statistics, familiarity with genome informatics tools, and a strong publication record. Statistical genetics/bioinformatics experience is preferred, but interested applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of past training experiences. The candidate will work on the project under the supervision of Bioinformatics and analysis (BIA) core co-leads: Silviu-Alin Bacanu (stat/statgen) and Mikhail Dozmorov (bioinfo/biostat). BIA is the min analysis core within VCU's Alcohol Research center (ARC). Its mission is to help individual projects with statistical/bioinfo analyses and, especially, to synergistically integrate animal-model and human project results. The appointed fellow will be mentored by a multidisciplinary team involving leaders in mathematical statistics/statistical genetics (Dr. Bacanu), biostatistics/bioinformatics (Dr. Dozmorov) and human genetics (Dr. Riley).
Core Responsibilities
Curation and analysis of animal RNA-seq results from a) mouse, b) worm and c) fly animal models.
Curation of (already available in the literature) human common SNPs GWAS results pertaining to alcohol and some well-known comorbid phenotypes, i.e.: a) Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD and AUDIT), b) smoking, c) Substance Use Disorder (SUD), d) externalizing disorders, e) mood disorders [major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety, and PTSD], f) psychotic disorders (bipolar disorder and schizophrenia)
Increase of signal detection in AUD/AUDIT by co-analyzing via Multi Trait Analysis of GWAS (MTAG) of all above PGC GWAS (after reformatting the PGC summary statistics to MTAG format).
Curate (externally available) rare variants results for AUD/AUDIT and comorbid disorders.
Prioritize alcohol genes for humans and model animals by co-analyzing (using a mixed model or Bayesian concordance models?) MTAG-ed common variant results, rare variants and animal model results.
Papers: at least 3 as first author
Joint analysis of (common variant) human and model animals findings + prioritization of genes by each animal model
Co-analysis (quasi fine-mapping) of common variants (from MTAG-ing with comorbid disorders) and rare variants (human) AUDIT results
Joint analysis of fine-mapped human from (2) and model animals findings + prioritization of genes by each animal model
Minimum Hiring Standards:
PhD in statistical/human/psychiatric genetics, mathematics/statistics/biostatistics, computer science/programming, or similar
Ability to work collaboratively and as part of a team
Commitment to thorough, rigorous research, and a thoughtful approach to problem solving
Experience in data science programming languages such as R and Linux HPC
Fluent in English written and spoken language
Preferred Hiring Standards:
Previous experience with genetic data
Experience with high performance computing
Experience with cloud computing
Demonstration of reproducible research tools (e.g., GitHub)
Strong publication record
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU's sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU's generous benefits package that includes: competitive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, Virginia Retirement System (VRS), professional development & certifications, tuition waiver, parental leave, caregiving leave and community service leave. Learn more about VCU's benefits here: https://hr.vcu.edu/careers-at-vcu/why-work-at-vcu/
Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability.
The School of Medicine continuously strives for our workplace and learning environment to reflect the demographic and social milieu of the communities we serve. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
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!
This is a restricted position with a set end date of one year after the start date and continued employment of one year is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.
Salary Range: $56,000-$62,000/year
Department: Psychiatry/VIPBG
Employment Type: Postdoctoral Fellow
Restricted Status: Restricted
FTE: 1
Exemption Status: Exempt
University Job Title: Postdoctoral Fellow Biostatistician
ORP eligible: Yes