Postdoctoral Fellow - Human Genomics
Position Overview
We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow with extensive experience in statistical genetics/genetic epidemiology to join our research program focused on the genetics and genomics of complex traits and rare disorders under the supervision of Dr. Nathalie Chami.
Our research integrates large-scale human genetic and genomic data with electronic health records, proteomics, multi-omics, and other deeply phenotyped datasets to understand the genetic architecture and biological heterogeneity of complex disease.
A major focus of the lab is moving beyond gene discovery to understand disease penetrance, subtypes, mechanisms, and comorbidities, with the long-term goal of advancing precision medicine.
Research Areas
- Genetic discovery for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and related cardiometabolic traits
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and fine-mapping
- Rare-variant association analyses using whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing
- Integration of rare and common genetic variation
- Polygenic risk scores and genetic modifiers of disease penetrance
- Genetic and molecular characterization of disease subtypes
- Multi-ancestry and cross-population genetic analyses
- Integration of genomics with proteomics and other multi-omics data
- Genetics of longitudinal clinical outcomes and electronic health record-derived phenotypes
- Integration of genomic and imaging-derived traits
- Causal inference and translation of genetic discoveries into biological and clinical insight
Responsibilities
- Lead independent research projects from study design through analysis, interpretation, and publication
- Analyze large-scale genomic datasets, including GWAS, exome sequencing, whole-genome sequencing, and rare-variant data
- Integrate genomic data with clinical, EHR, proteomic, multi-omic, and other phenotypic datasets
- Develop and implement rigorous statistical and computational approaches for human genetic studiesInterpret genetic findings in the context of disease biology and potential clinical relevance
- Prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals and present findings at national and international scientific meetings
- Contribute to grant applications and development of new research directions
- Collaborate with investigators across genetics, epidemiology, clinical medicine, bioinformatics, data science, and related disciplines
Required Qualifications
- A PhD in human genetics, statistical genetics, genetic epidemiology, bioinformatics, computational biology, biostatistics, or a closely related field
- Strong quantitative and analytical skills
- Experience analyzing human genetic or genomic data
- Proficiency in R
- Experience working in Unix/Linux computational environments
- Strong understanding of statistical principles relevant to genetic and epidemiologic research
- Ability to independently analyze data, critically interpret results, and troubleshoot analytical problems
- Strong scientific writing and communication skills
- Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively
- Experience in statistical genetic including GWAS , Whole-exome or whole-genome sequencing analysis
- Polygenic risk scores
- Fine-mapping, colocalization, or other post-GWAS analyses
- Large-scale biobank datasets
- High-performance computing and reproducible computational workflows
- A strong publication record and evidence of the ability to take scientific ownership of a project are highly valued.
Desired Attributes
- Scientifically curious and creative
- Highly motivated and intellectually independent
- Interested in asking biologically and clinically meaningful questions using human genomic data
- Rigorous and thoughtful in quantitative analysis
- Proactive and able to move projects forward independently
- Collaborative and comfortable working in multidisciplinary teams
- Organized, dependable, and committed to reproducible research
- Interested in developing toward scientific independence
Research Environment and Career Development
The fellow will work in a highly collaborative environment at the intersection of human genetics, genomics, epidemiology, computational biology, and precision medicine. The position provides access to large-scale genomic and deeply phenotyped datasets and opportunities to collaborate with investigators across multiple disciplines. A major emphasis wil