Career Center

The Opportunity

The Chung laboratory at Columbia University Irving Medical Center is seeking highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Scientists with strong expertise in bioinformatics or human genetics to lead genomic data analysis in genetic studies of human diseases and conditions. The Chung lab studies genetics of human monogenic and complex diseases, clinical implementation of genomic medicine, and novel therapeutic approaches for rare conditions. The candidate will benefit from a multidisciplinary environment in bioinformatics, statistical genetics, clinical genetics, genetic counseling, and precision medicine.

Key Responsibilities 

The candidate will apply state-of-the-art computational approaches to analyze large-scale whole genome and exome sequence data, interpret genetic variants, identify novel risk genes of human diseases and conditions, and develop new methods for estimating genetic risk of human diseases and conditions. The candidate will lead a major genetics project in the lab, such as autism and developmental disorders. The candidate will be co-mentored by a close collaborator Dr.Yufeng Shen in Departments of Systems Biology and Biomedical Informatics. The candidate will work with other team members to obtain and process data, including the data sets from collaborations and public sources, optimize analytical pipelines, and apply state-of-the-art methods in data analysis with rigor. The candidate will lead drafting manuscripts based on results of his/her projects. The candidate will contribute his/her expertise to other projects in the lab collaboratively. Finally, the candidate will have opportunities to participate study design and drafting grant proposals.

Compensation 

Compensation arrangements are competitive and commensurate with both experience and achievement.

Commitment of Diversity 

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and Educator. The University is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty and staff committed to teaching and working in a diverse environment, and strongly encourages applications from women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans. 

Columbia University welcomes applications from individuals who may have had nontraditional career paths, or who may have taken time off for family reasons (e.g. children, caring for disabled or elderly family), or who have achieved excellence in careers outside of academia (e.g., in professional or industry service). The University is responsive to the needs of dual career couples and is committed to supporting the work-life balance of its faculty. We are interested in candidates who have a record of success advising and mentoring individuals from groups underrepresented in higher education and is particularly interested in candidates who have research interests in subjects that will contribute to the understanding of diversity and equal opportunity.

Websites 

Columbia University Department of Pediatrics: https://www.pediatrics.columbia.edu/  

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS

• Must have a doctorate degree (M.D. or Ph.D.)
• Consistently strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build and sustain effective working relationships with professionals in other disciplines;
• The ability to create a high-energy results-oriented work environment that encourages colleagues and staff to value each other's contributions 
• The ability to share and celebrate success with colleagues and staff.

PREFFERED QUALIFICATIONS

• 1. Deep experience in computational analysis of genome or exome sequencing data, especially in genetic studies of human diseases.
• 2. Knowledge of population genetics, statistical genetics, and molecular biology.
• 3. Clear communication in writing and presentation.
• 4. Strong skills in scientific programming (e.g. R and python) and high-performance computing environment.
• 5. Education: PhD in genetics, bioinformatics, or related areas.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Pay Transparency Disclosure

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training.  The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

About Columbia University

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

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