Postdoctoral Researcher in Oral Phage Bioinformatics

The Phage; United States; On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ohio State University College of Dentistry in Columbus, OH, seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar to join the Kaspar Laboratory focusing on bacteriophages within the oral microbiome and related bioinformatics analyses.

The successful candidate will lead computational analyses of metagenomic and viromic datasets, develop reproducible workflows, and collaborate across disciplines while mentoring graduate students and researchers in bioinformatics methods.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant biosciences field.
• Extensive experience analyzing metagenomic sequencing data.
• Experience with Linux-based or HPC environments.
• Proficiency in R or Python for data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Perform quality control and processing of metagenomic and viromic data.
• Assemble microbial and viral genomes from sequencing datasets.
• Identify, reconstruct, and evaluate bacteriophage genomes.
• Develop and maintain reproducible bioinformatics workflows.
• Collaborate across interdisciplinary teams and mentor students.
• Present findings at meetings and contribute to manuscripts.

Skills

Bioinformatics

Metagenomics

Phage biology understanding

Data analysis

Communication skills

Education

PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Microbiology, Genomics, or closely related field

Tools

R

Python

Linux/HPC

Job description

The College of Dentistry at The Ohio State University is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Scholar to join the Kaspar Laboratory within the Division of Biosciences. This exciting opportunity is ideal for researchers with expertise in bioinformatics, metagenomics, viromics, and microbial community analysis who are interested in advancing research on bacteriophages within the oral microbiome.

The successful candidate will lead computational analyses of metagenomic and viromic sequencing datasets while contributing to interdisciplinary research focused on microbial ecology and phage-based therapeutic strategies.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform quality control and processing of metagenomic and viromic sequencing data.
• Assemble microbial and viral genomes from sequencing datasets.
• Identify, reconstruct, and evaluate bacteriophage genomes.
• Conduct viral genome quality assessment, taxonomic classification, and functional annotation.
• Perform bacteriophage-host prediction and comparative genomic analyses.
• Analyze microbial and viral community composition using statistical and ecological methods.
• Conduct diversity analysis, ordination, differential abundance testing, and multivariate statistical analyses.
• Develop and maintain reproducible bioinformatics workflows and computational pipelines.
• Organize and manage sequencing datasets and project documentation.
• Integrate computational findings with laboratory-generated experimental data.
• Present research findings at laboratory meetings, conferences, and collaborative projects.
• Contribute to manuscripts, grant applications, scientific reports, and publications.
• Mentor graduate students and laboratory members in bioinformatics methodologies.

Qualifications & Skills Required

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Microbiology, Genomics, or a closely related discipline.
• Extensive experience analyzing metagenomic sequencing datasets.
• Experience working in Linux-based or High-Performance Computing (HPC) environments.
• Proficiency in R, Python, or similar programming languages.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and collaborative skills.

Candidates with experience in the following areas are highly encouraged to apply:

• Viral metagenomic analysis
• Viral genome reconstruction and characterization
• Microbial ecology
• Reproducible workflow development
• HPC computing
• Statistical analysis of sequencing data
• Integration of bacterial and viral metagenomic datasets