Career Center

A Postdoctoral Research Scientist position in Computational Biology is available at the Center for Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology (CTCN) in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, NY.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and energetic individual to join our computational team. Our overarching research goal at the CTCN is to identify and model molecular mechanisms that drive neurodegeneration, focusing on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). The computational team develops and applies systems biology approaches to genome-wide high-dimensional human data obtained from large, well-characterized cohorts. These data are often multi-modal (genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, proteomic), include different brain regions or peripheral tissue, and were obtained at different resolutions (tissue-level data, single-cell/nucleus data, or spatial transcriptomics) requiring complex analyses. The successful candidate will lead the integrative analysis of a large new dataset generated from key motor tissues (motor cortex, spinal cord, muscle) to identify molecular pathways underlying motor decline, an early non-cognitive symptom of AD/ADRD. Tissue donors had annual gait and cognitive testing and used wearable sensors before death, making this dataset of several hundred tissue profiles a unique resource for studying motor impairment.

The ideal candidate should have a quantitative background (Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Biostatistics, Statistics, Computer Science, or Applied Mathematics), be highly motivated to solve biological problems and have experience analyzing large-scale genomic data. A Ph.D. in computational biology, bioinformatics, statistics, biostatistics, computer science, or related area is required, but a Ph.D. in biology or neuroscience is also acceptable if the candidate has extensive experience with quantitative methods. The candidate should have good knowledge of one programming language for implementing computational models and algorithms (R, Python, Matlab, C/C++). Experience with graph modeling, Bayesian statistics, or causal inference is a plus.

The successful candidate will be part of an integrated team of data scientists, cellular biologists, human immunologists, and clinician scientists who come together to perform team-based projects, with each postdoctoral researcher leading her or his own project. Therefore, a good balance between independence and team spirit is essential. The position offers a stimulating and multi-disciplinary environment with numerous opportunities to collaborate with researchers within and outside the CTCN, including established collaborations with the New York Genome Center and Rush University in Chicago. The candidate will be jointly mentored by Drs. Hans-Ulrich Klein and Philip De Jager.

If interested, please submit an application or inquiries by e-mail to Hans-Ulrich Klein (hk2948@cumc.columbia.edu). Please include a cover letter with a CV describing previous research, research interests, and future goals.

PhD

If interested, please submit an application or inquiries by e-mail to Hans-Ulrich Klein (hk2948@cumc.columbia.edu). Please include a cover letter with a CV describing previous research, research interests, and future goals.

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.

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