Career Center

The team of Elena Rivas has a NIH‐funded postdoctoral position available in the department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. We are seeking postdocs in computational biology with an interest in creating new methods for the identification and characterization of structural RNAs and to advance the study of structural RNA biology.

 

The project aims at combining existing methods to interrogate genomic regions and transcripts about the existence of conserved RNA structure with AI methods that could take advantage of information in the known structural RNAs and to apply it to the identification of novel ones. Our group has developed two computational tools, termed R‐scape and CaCoFold, which use genomic signals of conservation, variation, and covariation, gathered from millennia of evolutionary history to identify novel structured RNAs in any genome. This proposal aims to take those methods further in several directions by developing new methodologies to determine the fold of a structural RNA, and by developing new computational methods to identify phylogenetically restricted structural RNAs.

 

The project requires excellent programming skills preferably with knowledge of open‐source machine learning frameworks such as Pytorch.

The position is available any time after October 1, 2022. 

A Ph.D. is required. Optimal candidates will have deep understanding of methods for the computational analysis of RNA structure. Candidates are expected to carry an independent research program, as there will be ample room for following your own ideas. Candidates from diverse and non‐traditional backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Dr. Elena Rivas
Northwest Lab Building
52 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

Debra Maddalena (Administrator)
maddalen@mcb.harvard.edu

Letters of recommendation are not required at the time of application, however letters will be collected for finalists. Candidates should submit with their application contact information for three references from experts at the ladder faculty ranks or highly accomplished senior researchers from corporations or research institutes.

Please include the following items as part of your application:

Alternatively, you may send your cover letter, CV, and the names of 3 references directly to Dr. Rivas at: elenarivas@fas.harvard.edu

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.