Postdoctoral Computational Biologist in Cancer Genetics

Overview

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute seeks a Post-Doctoral Computational Biologist in Cancer Genetics in the Gillani Lab in Computational Pediatric Cancer Research () and Collins Genomics Lab ( labs.dana-farber.org/collins-genomics ). The Post-Doctoral Computational Biologist will work on the analysis of new and existing genomic datasets to advance efforts in pediatric cancer genomics, with the goal of arriving at new insights around cancer risk and precision cancer medicine to advance the care of pediatric cancer patients.

The Gillani and Collins Labs collaborate closely to advance pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancer care using cutting-edge computational biology approaches. We strive to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the germline genetics and tumor genomics of pediatric cancer to inform the management of pediatric cancer. We value rigorous and creative science that matters to patients and their families. Our laboratories emphasize caring about each other as people and colleagues and fostering a respectful, collaborative environment.

The qualified candidate will design and lead projects grounded in biomedical data science in the domain of pediatric cancer genomics. They will lead and support data processing and myriad analyses, create new algorithms for focused research questions in cancer genetics, integrate tools and databases into established cloud-based pipelines, and drive projects to completion, including publication and oral presentations at high-profile scientific venues.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Responsibilities

Related projects and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing analysis of normal samples from pediatric cancer patients and cancer-free individuals
• Development and implementation of rigorous statistical frameworks for association testing of coding and noncoding genetic variation in the context of pediatric cancer risk
• Studies of patient tumor samples to understand the functional consequences of inherited variants and their association with clinical outcomes

These projects are collaborative efforts between the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Broad Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, the Harvard Medical School, and multiple other institutions. These projects have the potential to identify novel approaches for personalized care in oncology. In addition, the data generated in these studies may provide support for new methods in clinical decision-making, biomarkers for rational drug development, and new insights into tumor biology. The Post-Doctoral Computational Biologist hired for this position will join a collaborative team in this effort and will participate in the design and implementation of algorithms to analyze the data and integrate with other data sets including clinical outcomes data.

This Post-Doctoral Computational Biologist will also help with the generation of tools needed for manipulating and preparing data for display; transferring data to external collaborators and data repositories; and will also help maintain, support, and document shared tools, code, and data sets. As the field of clinical computational oncology evolves, this position is likely to present diverse and flexible opportunities - from deeper and more complex software design problems, to becoming more involved in the bioinformatic and analytic aspects of predictive modeling. As such, the Post-Doctoral Computational Biologist should have a willingness to learn new languages and tools as the field grows, as well as have an interest in cancer biology/ medicine more broadly.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position will involve co-mentoring of members in the Gillani and Collins Labs, with opportunities for growth in developing multi-disciplinary teams that are project oriented.

PATIENT CONTACT: NA

Qualifications

• A Ph.D. in genetics, statistics, computer science, biomedical engineering, mathematics, or other related disciplines provided sufficiently comparable research experience. Candidates with an M.D. who have commensurate research experience are also encouraged to apply.
• Significant research experience in computational biology and its common applications (experience in R and/or Python, as well as cloud computing)
• A strong background in statistics and biology
• Experience managing and curating large datasets
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to perform both self-directed and guided research
• Outstanding personal initiative and the ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Ability to meet deadlines and efficiently multitask
• Ability to effectively collaborate with individuals across disciplines, ranging from computer science and clinical medicine
• Ability to seek out mentorship and assistance as needed, while also being a mentor to other members of our research teams

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.