Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences NSF NCEMS Postdoctoral Scholar

The Pennsylvania State University; Ferguson Township (PA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

The Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus, seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar in Computational Biology to perform original computational analyses on large-scale public datasets in collaboration with NCEMS. This on-site, one-year term appointment emphasizes independent research within a collaborative synthesis science environment.

The position will involve data integration across multi-omics, systems biology, and methodological development, with an emphasis on high-quality publications

Qualifications

• PhD in computational biology or systems biology required.
• Strong background in computational analysis of molecular data.
• Experience with large-scale omics datasets.

Responsibilities

• Conduct original computational biology research using public datasets.
• Integrate multi-omics data and perform systems-level analyses.
• Collaborate with NCEMS faculty and publish results.

Skills

Python

R

Independent researcher

Data analysis

Education

PhD in Computational Biology or Systems Biology

Tools

NCBI

GEO

SRA

UniProt

Job description

Postdoctoral Scholar (Computational Biology)

The National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) at Penn State University (ncems.psu.edu) seeks an outstanding scientist to fill a Postdoctoral Scholar position in Computational Biology housed within the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences at Penn State University.

NCEMS is an NSF-funded interdisciplinary research center positioned at the interface of data science, molecular and cellular biology, and quantitative physical sciences. The Center provides leadership in the integration of diverse, publicly available datasets, to gain insights into emergent phenomena in molecular and cellular biology.

About the Position

The successful candidate, in collaboration with faculty at NCEMS, will conduct original computational biology research involving large-scale public datasets, multi-omics integration, biological data harmonization, systems-level analysis, or related areas that synergize with the scientific goals, data products, and methodological innovations of NCEMS. This position is designed to support the scholar’s development as an independent researcher while embedding them in a highly collaborative synthesis science environment.

This position is full time, on-site at the Penn State University Park campus. This position does not permit remote work. This is a term appointment funded for one year from the date of hire with an excellent chance for multiple years of renewal based upon mutual agreement.

Requirements

• A PhD in Computational Biology or Systems Biology is required.
• The successful candidate will have a strong foundation in computational analysis of molecular and cellular biology data.
• Expertise in Python and/or R.
• A demonstrated ability to conduct independent research as demonstrated through a strong track‑record of peer‑reviewed publications.
• Experience working with large‑scale biological datasets, including genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, lipidomic, epigenomic, interactomic, structural, glycomic, or single‑cell multi‑omics data a plus.
• Familiarity with biological databases and public data repositories, such as NCBI, GEO, SRA, ENA, UniProt, etc.
• Candidates must be independent self‑starters, have a strong work ethic, strong interpersonal and written communication skills, and the ability to work well in a collaborative team environment.

Background Checks/Clearances

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

Benefits

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full‑time employees designed to support both personal and professional well‑being. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)

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