Job Summary:

The Hendricks Lab in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow with a background in human genomics, biostatistics, statistics, computational biology, bioinformatics, machine learning, and/or related fields. Individuals from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

The postdoc and PI will jointly envision projects tailored to the fellow’s skillset and long-term career goals. Postdocs will be expected to carry out rigorous statistical, computational, and machine learning research, analyze data and interpret findings, and disseminate findings, software, and data to the biomedical community.

The Hendricks team works at the intersection of biomedical research and statistical/machine learning method development. Our goal is to support rigorous, reproducible, and representative research from basic science to implementation of precision health. Our core activities towards this mission are: 1) building open-source and broadly useful data science methods and software, and 2) promoting growth of a representative research community through programs, mentoring, and collaboration.  Recent projects include improving the utility and equity of genetic summary data by detecting and leveraging substructure, identifying metabolomic derived food biomarkers, and developing standards for robust use of common external controls.

Current project funding includes support for methodological and applied work in identifying and leveraging substructure in genomic summary data, employing deep phenotyping and genotyping data to characterize systemic determinants of health, identifying food biomarkers, and characterizing multi-omic drivers of healthy diets.

Professional Field:

Statistics, Machine Learning, Data Science, Computer Science, Biomedical Informatics, Human Genetics and Genomics

Supervision Received:

The Postdoctoral Fellow will report to the Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Audrey Hendricks, PhD.

Key Responsibilities:

Research – 60%

• Design and initiate research projects with guidance from the PI
• Independently carry out literature reviews, analysis, and interpretation of results with guidance from the PI
• Write software and analytical workflows to for the general biomedical research community and to address specific research questions.
• Maintain effective communication and collaboration with the PI, other team members, and local and international collaborators.
• Maintain transparent and easy-to-follow documentation of research projects from start to finish, including reproducible and sharable code on GitHub.
• Actively pursue computational, experimental, and clinical collaborations.

Communication – 25%

• Present research in progress at lab meetings, project meetings, and 1-on-1 meetings
• Submit abstracts and present results at local and national/international meetings
• Write and publish manuscripts
• Actively pursue fellowship awards and assist the PI in grant writing

Train and Mentor  – 5%

• Mentor and train graduate, undergraduate, and other research trainees in the group.
• Write and share workflows and protocols

Administrative Duties – 5%

• Complete required research training
• Perform general administrative duties as requested by the PI

Career development – 5%

• Attend career development seminars and networking events
• Complete an Individualized Development Plan (IDP) to be discussed with the PI annually
• Keep CV up to date 

Work Location:

Hybrid – this role is eligible for a hybrid schedule of 3 days per week on campus and as needed for in-person meetings.  

Why Join Us:

Dr. Hendricks is committed to supporting each fellow’s unique path and career goals, including exploring new project areas and facilitating new collaborations. While the position requires a biomedical statistical or computational background, applicants are highly encouraged to apply even if they don’t have all the preferred qualifications, since it is understood that many skills will be learned on the job. This includes software development, computing environments, genetic studies, or multi-omics data integration and analysis. The lab works in a hybrid in-person/remote setting.

The Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI), located in the magnificent new Health Science building with a fabulous view of the Rocky Mountains, provides a fantastic environment for trainees to thrive and pursue their career goals. DBMI has a dedicated team for Grants Development and Scientific Writing, and a Software Engineering Team that can provide invaluable feedback to improve the quality of your code and your programming skills. 

The University of Colorado offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes health insurance, life insurance, retirement plans, tuition benefits, ECO pass, paid time off – vacation, sick, and holidays and more. To see what benefits are available, please visit: https://www.cu.edu/employee-services/benefits-wellness .

Diversity and Equity:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty and administrative staff. The university strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. We encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, persons within the LGBTQ+ community and all veterans. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:
Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

• PhD in a relevant science discipline such as genetics, statistics, bioinformatics, computational sciences, data science, machine learning, biostatistics, applied mathematics, computer science, or related fields.
• 3+ years of experience in R, Python, and/or a comparable programming language

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing and/or applying statistical or machine learning methods to a problem in some domain such as genetics, biology, social science, economics, etc. Alternatively, experience working with high-throughput omics, text, or graph-like datasets.
• Proficiency in scientific communication with evidence of first-author manuscript(s) in peer-reviewed journals and oral presentation(s) at national or international conferences.
• Experience in statistical genetics methods, such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS), transcription-wide association studies (TWAS), disease risk prediction (polygenic risk scores), and functional characterization would be a bonus.
• Advanced programming skills with version control (Git), preferably in a high-performance cluster computing environment, and attributable contributions to source code. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Evidence of working in collaborative teams and positively contributing to others’ projects.
• Demonstrated willingness to give/take constructive feedback and to sustain a supportive and inclusive lab environment.

How to Apply:

For full consideration, please submit the following document(s):

Applications are accepted electronically ONLY at www.cu.edu/cu-careers .

Questions should be directed to: Michelle Fiandra, michelle.fiandra@cuanschutz.edu

Screening of Applications Begins:

Immediately and continues until position is filled.

Anticipated Pay Range:

The starting salary range (or hiring range ) for this position has been established as HIRING RANGE:

$70,000, above the current NIH salary range.

The above salary range (or hiring range ) represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. This position is not eligible for overtime compensation unless it is non-exempt.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

Total Compensation Calculator: http://www.cu.edu/node/153125

ADA Statement:

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at hr.adacoordinator@ucdenver.edu ​.

Background Check Statement:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background investigations for all prospective employees.

Vaccination Statement:

CU Anschutz strongly encourages vaccination against the COVID-19 virus and other vaccine preventable diseases . If you work, visit, or volunteer in healthcare facilities or clinics operated by our affiliated hospital or clinical partners or by CU Anschutz, you will be required to comply with the vaccination and medical surveillance policies of the facilities or clinics where you work, visit, or volunteer, respectively. In addition, if you work in certain research areas or perform certain safety sensitive job duties, you must enroll in the occupational health medical surveillance program .