Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Employer
- University of Virginia
- Location
- Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
View more categoriesView less categories
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Institution Type
- Four-Year Institution
Job Details
We are looking for a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the Platig Lab at the University of Virginia. The candidate would be part of an interdisciplinary team of computational biologists, data scientists, and RNA biologists investigating the role of alternative splicing in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). The project will leverage large-scale generation (400+ samples) of long-read RNA-seq from CD4+ T cells in a T1D cohort across multiple time points. A core aim of this project will be to develop interpretable machine learning approaches to understand how RNA binding proteins (RBPs) regulate observed splicing changes and to test putative mechanisms experimentally.
This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of machine learning, RNA biology, and immunology, with translational relevance to T1D.
Postdoctoral employment is temporary and is normally limited to an individual who has been awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate within the previous five years and who will be involved in full-time research or scholarship at the University. Employment as a Postdoctoral Research Associate is viewed as training and is preparatory for a full-time academic or research career, is supervised by a senior scholar, and allows the appointee to publish the results of his/her research or scholarship during the training period
This is a 12-month appointment with the possibility of renewal contingent upon satisfactory performance and the availability of funding.
Responsibilities
- Integrate long-read and short-read RNA-seq with RBP data (motifs, eCLIP) for splicing and isoform analysis
- Develop machine learning methods to predict functional RNA regulatory elements
- Collaborate with wet-lab partners to design follow-up experiments
- Publish findings and present at national conferences
- Contribute to grant writing and mentorship of graduate students
Minimum Qualifications
- PhD (awarded or imminent) in bioinformatics, computational biology, or a closely related field
- Demonstrated experience using long- or short-read RNA-seq to understand alternative splicing
- Experience using machine learning techniques in genomics
- Strong publication record
- Ability to communicate computational techniques to a broad audience
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience modeling RNA binding proteins
- Familiarity with T1D
- Experience with machine learning interpretability approaches (xAI)
Physical Demands
This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.
Salary will be commensurate with education, experience, and NIH guidelines.
This is an Exempt-level, benefitted position. For more information on the benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA, visit postdoc.virginia.edu and hr.virginia.edu/benefits.
This position is based in Charlottesville, VA, and must be performed fully on-site.
To learn more about UVA and in the Charlottesville area, visit UVA Life and Embark CVA.
Application review/deadline This position will remain open until filled.
Background checks and pre-employment health screenings will be conducted on all new hires prior to employment.
Please apply online through Online and search for R0083627. Complete the application and upload the following required materials:
Internal applicants may search and apply for jobs on the UVA Internal Careers website.
- Cover letter
- Resume
Upload all materials into the resume submission field. You can submit multiple documents into this one field or combine them into one PDF. Applications without all required documents will not receive full consideration.
Internal applicants may search and apply for jobs on the UVA Internal Careers website.
Reference checks will be completed by UVA’s third-party partner, SkillSurvey, during the final phase of the interview. Five references will be requested, with at least three responses required.
For questions about the application process, please contact Bill Crane, Xer5ff@virginia.edu.
For questions about the position, please contact Jennifer Dean, jmdean@virginia.edu
The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.
Organization
In 1819, the University of Virginia established a new model for intellectual exchange and cross-disciplinary collaboration in higher education. Two hundred years later, as a major research institution, we continue to challenge conventions, lead with ingenuity and advance knowledge for the common good.
What began as an innovative idea has become one of the nation’s leading public research universities, with over 21,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UVA also has over 3,000 full-time faculty offering more than 400 degrees.
Each of the University’s eleven schools has its own distinctive mission, working together to garner consistently high rankings—including #2 Best Value Public College (Princeton Review, 2016), #3 Public University in the Nation (U.S. News & World Report, 2016), and #3 Best Value Among Public Colleges (Kiplinger’s, 2016).
As we invest in and strengthen our research capabilities, UVA seeks new faculty ready to uncover new insights, rewrite old rules and collaborate on intellectual discoveries.
RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS THAT CROSS DISCIPLINES
As an R1 institution, the University’s research centers, consortia and laboratories are on the leading edge of discovery and technology, offering collaborative spaces for students and faculty to solve global problems.
Our professors are recognized members of major national scholarly and professional organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Our faculty’s engagement in interdisciplinary research is being facilitated by new research institutes specializing in everything from big data to brain functioning, and by cluster hires across schools.
NATIONALLY RANKED HEALTH SYSTEM
UVA is also home to a nationally renowned academic medical center and the UVA Health System, which serves a three-part mission to treat patients, conduct translational research and train medical practitioners in a wide variety of disciplines.
Established as the nation’s 10th medical school in 1825, the institution has since grown to include a 612-bed hospital and a Level I trauma center, nationally recognized cancer and heart centers, a Children’s Hospital, and primary and specialty clinics throughout Central Virginia.
The UVA Medical Center is consistently ranked among the nation’s best hospitals by the U.S. News & World Report magazine and has been named among the top 25 percent in seven specialties.
INSPIRING STUDENTS, INSPIRED TEACHING
The vast majority of UVA students come from the top 10% of their high school class, as well as from all 50 states, over 142 countries and a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite their diversity, all UVA students share a love of learning and a drive to achieve.
One of the reasons students choose Virginia is our unique residential culture. At UVA, the community of students, faculty and staff personifies the Jeffersonian idea that living and learning are connected. The Academical Village was constructed to support a unique residential experience, with faculty living in the Pavilions, students occupying Lawn rooms and the world-famous Rotunda at its heart. The University’s residential culture continues to support this experience today—strengthened by students, faculty and staff rich in backgrounds, ideas and perspectives. Our unique culture is also paying dividends in innovation: UVA’s faculty have generated more than 130 patents since 2010.
Perhaps most importantly, faculty come to UVA knowing that instruction is as important as research, and they pride themselves on their many teaching awards. Our best professors look for ways to encourage, mentor and develop tomorrow’s leaders inside and outside the classroom.
LIFE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE
Living in Charlottesville you’ll find sophisticated restaurants, world-renowned wineries and breweries, cosmopolitan arts and music, friendly urban and suburban neighborhoods and a Piedmont landscape that has lured adventurous souls for centuries. No wonder the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research named Charlottesville the “happiest city in America” in 2014.
In addition to UVA and its health system, several major employers have facilities in Charlottesville, including State Farm, Northrop Grumman, the U.S. Department of Defense, GE and others. Charlottesville is also becoming a center for innovative start-up businesses. The University also actively helps spouses and partners of faculty members build their networks and pursue employment opportunities with a wide variety of area employers.
The University of Virginia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply including veterans and individuals with disabilities.
- Telephone
- 434-985-4532
- Location
-
2420 Old Ivy
Charlottesvle
Virginia
22911-7433
United States
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