Job ID: 435001
Job date: 2016-12-21
End Date:
Company : Virginia Commonwealth University Country : Role : Postdoc
Job date: 2016-12-21
End Date:
Company : Virginia Commonwealth University Country : Role : Postdoc
Job Description:
A three-year fully-funded post-doctoral research position in computational biology is available, working with leaders in the fields of molecular genetics, psychiatry, neuroscience and philosophy of science. The successful candidate will have outstanding skills in bioinformatics and statistics and a driving curiosity about how genes affect behavior and other complex traits. The position may be held with Dr. Mark Reimers at Michigan State University in East Lansing, or with Dr. Kenneth Kendler at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. The project aims to address a fundamental question in the genetics of complex traits and diseases: to what extent do genetic variants related to a trait point to a distinct molecular mechanism for that trait? We will specifically compare the genetics of a variety of behavioral traits and psychiatric disorders to the genetics of well-understood processes like growth, and to the genetics of other well-studied complex traits and diseases. We will have access to many of the largest GWAS data sets compiled to date, and we will integrate these GWAS data with several kinds of genomic data: chromatin, 17-primate conservation, and population history, in order to identify lists of the most likely candidate SNPs and genes. We will then map genes to the rapidly expanding protein-interaction and cell signaling databases in order to identify interactions among the proteins coded by these genes. Then we will develop metrics to quantify the molecular coherence of various traits: that is, the extent to which the different genes implicated in each trait interact directly with each other; this metric will be analogous to network connectivity, although edges may have different strengths or types. Much of this project will depend on integrating data which comes with considerable uncertainty, and we plan to use a Bayesian approach. This unique integrative project will require a comprehensive engagement with a variety of GWAS data, and draw on a large swathe of modern computational molecular biology; we expect it to yield significant insight into how common genetic variation may influence many complex human traits, and therefore to high-profile publications. This position is funded by a grant from the Templeton Foundation.
Additional Info:
Application Process: Interested applicants should send applications to Dr Mark Reimers (reimersm@msu.edu), or to Dr. Kenneth Kendler, (kenneth.kendler@vcuhealth.org), with subject heading ‘Templeton post-doc application’. All submitted applications must include the following documents: letter of interest, summary of research interest and future plans, three references and a CV. Only electronic applications/documents will be accepted. Administrative questions should be directed to Shari Stockmeyer at stockmey@msu.edu, or Linda Mikell, at linda.mikell@vcuhealth.org. MSU and VCU are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employers. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.[Click Here to Access the Original Job Post]
A three-year fully-funded post-doctoral research position in computational biology is available, working with leaders in the fields of molecular genetics, psychiatry, neuroscience and philosophy of science. The successful candidate will have outstanding skills in bioinformatics and statistics and a driving curiosity about how genes affect behavior and other complex traits. The position may be held with Dr. Mark Reimers at Michigan State University in East Lansing, or with Dr. Kenneth Kendler at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. The project aims to address a fundamental question in the genetics of complex traits and diseases: to what extent do genetic variants related to a trait point to a distinct molecular mechanism for that trait? We will specifically compare the genetics of a variety of behavioral traits and psychiatric disorders to the genetics of well-understood processes like growth, and to the genetics of other well-studied complex traits and diseases. We will have access to many of the largest GWAS data sets compiled to date, and we will integrate these GWAS data with several kinds of genomic data: chromatin, 17-primate conservation, and population history, in order to identify lists of the most likely candidate SNPs and genes. We will then map genes to the rapidly expanding protein-interaction and cell signaling databases in order to identify interactions among the proteins coded by these genes. Then we will develop metrics to quantify the molecular coherence of various traits: that is, the extent to which the different genes implicated in each trait interact directly with each other; this metric will be analogous to network connectivity, although edges may have different strengths or types. Much of this project will depend on integrating data which comes with considerable uncertainty, and we plan to use a Bayesian approach. This unique integrative project will require a comprehensive engagement with a variety of GWAS data, and draw on a large swathe of modern computational molecular biology; we expect it to yield significant insight into how common genetic variation may influence many complex human traits, and therefore to high-profile publications. This position is funded by a grant from the Templeton Foundation.
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Additional Info:
Application Process: Interested applicants should send applications to Dr Mark Reimers (reimersm@msu.edu), or to Dr. Kenneth Kendler, (kenneth.kendler@vcuhealth.org), with subject heading ‘Templeton post-doc application’. All submitted applications must include the following documents: letter of interest, summary of research interest and future plans, three references and a CV. Only electronic applications/documents will be accepted. Administrative questions should be directed to Shari Stockmeyer at stockmey@msu.edu, or Linda Mikell, at linda.mikell@vcuhealth.org. MSU and VCU are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employers. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.[Click Here to Access the Original Job Post]