Postdoctoral Fellow

Brigham and Women's Hospital; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 72,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston seeks a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to join the Wohl Lab. The role focuses on developing and evaluating sampling strategies for pathogen genomic surveillance and collaborating with international stakeholders to analyze genomic data.

The Wohl lab applies genomic techniques to study evolution and spread of pathogens, aiming to account for sampling biases and empower local public health experts with sequencing and study-design expertise.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in infectious disease epidemiology, computational biology, applied statistics or mathematics, or similar.
• Ideally, experience with transmission dynamics modeling of infectious diseases, pathogen genomics, bioinformatics, and/or applied statistics.

Responsibilities

• Develop, simulate, and evaluate genomic sampling and analysis strategies in collaboration with international partners.
• Engage with international stakeholders to identify priority pathogens and evaluate surveillance strategies.
• Leverage AI tools to build pathogen genomic datasets from public data and metadata.
• Guide the development of accessible tools for genomic surveillance program design.
• Support pathogen genomic analyses in public health settings.

Skills

Python

R

Genomic sequencing

Phylogenetic analysis

Statistics

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

PhD in infectious disease epidemiology, computational biology, applied statistics or mathematics

Tools

R scripting

Bioinformatics pipelines

Job description

Site: The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.

Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to join the Wohl Lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School. The position will focus on developing and evaluating sampling strategies for pathogen genomic surveillance, and on collaborating with international stakeholders to analyze pathogen genomic data.

The Wohl lab uses genomic techniques to understand the evolution and spread of disease-causing human pathogens, conducting research at the intersection of infectious disease epidemiology, theoretical methods, and public health. We aim to harness the full potential of sequencing data to understand and combat human pathogens through empirical study and methodological innovation. This involves working towards a more complete understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms of both viral and bacterial disease-causing pathogens, and also includes developing better ways to account for sampling biases in phylogenetic and other analytical results. We are also passionate about ensuring that sequencing capacity and study design expertise are in the hands of local public health experts who are best positioned to take actionable steps towards responding to pathogen threats.

The selected postdoctoral candidate will also work closely with the Grad Lab (https://hsph.harvard.edu/research/grad-lab/) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

This candidate will work closely with collaborators in the Grad Lab to develop, simulate, and evaluate genomic sampling and analysis strategies. Specific tasks may include:

• Developing a simulation framework for pathogen transmission and applying this framework to evaluate the epidemiological information gained under different genomic sampling scenarios


• Engaging with international stakeholders to identify priority public health pathogens and evaluate plausible genomic surveillance strategies


• Leveraging AI tools to build pathogen genomic datasets from publicly available data and metadata


• Guiding the development of accessible tools for genomic surveillance program design


• Performing and/or supporting pathogen genomic analyses conducted in public health settings

Qualifications

Requirements: We are seeking a highly motivated applicant with a Ph.D. in infectious disease epidemiology, computational biology, applied statistics or mathematics, or similar. Pending doctoral degrees will also be considered.

Ideally, the selected candidate will have experience in transmission dynamics modeling of infectious diseases, pathogen genomics, bioinformatics, and/or applied statistics.

Skills/Abilities/Competencies Required:

• Strong programming skills in scripting languages such as Python and/or analysis tools such as R


• Experience with next-generation sequencing data or phylogenetic analysis AND/OR experience applying statistical methods to study design, population dynamics modeling, or population genetics


• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of multi-disciplinary teams and international collaborations

The salary range for this position is $71,750 to $79,199 annually (commensurate with years of experience).

For more information about the Wohl lab, please visit: https://shirleewohl-lab.com/

Additional Job Details (if applicable)

Remote Type

Onsite

Work Location

4-6 Blackfan Circle

EEO Statement:

2200 The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran's Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.

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