Postdoctoral Researcher

　　St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (SJCRH)

　　The Geeleher Lab is joining the Department of Computational Biology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis Tennessee in February 2019. St. Jude has recently been ranked the #1 Pediatric Cancer Hospital.

　　Multiple Postdoctoral and Bioinformatics Research Scientist (salary comparable to industry) positions are available in these broad research areas:

　　o    Developing machine learning approaches for integration of pre-clinical, clinical genomics and electronic health record data for drug re-purposing and pharmacogenomics of anticancer agents. Identifying targeted therapies for patients with cancer is a central focus at St. Jude, and genome and RNAsequencing of patients’ tumors is now being performed regularly as part of standard-of-care. A major goal of the Geeleher lab is to explore machine learning approaches to prioritize targetable variants and expand the scope of targeted therapeutics. You will explore, optimize and build on emerging informatics techniques, including integrating somatic variation with transcriptomic variation and with protein-protein interaction networks. The Geeleher lab’s wet-lab component provides a platform for validation of computational predictions and discoveries. Successful completion of the project has the potential for a direct positive impact on patient care and high-impact publications.

　　o    Developing statistical methods for integrating single cell and bulk tissue expression data to understand the relationship between common inherited genetic variation, gene expression, and drug response. Chemotherapeutic response is a complex trait influenced by numerous factors. Inherited genetic variants influencing gene expression (expression quantitative trait loci, or eQTLs) have been identified as major contributors. However, our recent work has shown that the degree of influence of eQTLs on gene expression in cancer is less well understood than previously thought. You will explore how inherited genetic variation influences cancer risk, disease progression and drug response, building on methods developed in the lab to deconvolute eQTL signals from bulk tissue expression data to specific cell types. This work will aim to improve our understanding of inherited genetic variation in cancer and yield computational approaches applicable to a broad variety of complex traits and diseases.

　　Further details available upon request!

　　Criteria for Postdocs and Bioinformatics Research Scientist positions

　　Candidates must have a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or M.D.). Fluency in English and an ability to think/work independently are essential.

　　Candidates should have a track record of productivity, for example, a first author paper, or a demonstrable contribution to a large project. Applicants with a Ph.D. in a quantitative field (computational biology, genetics/genomics, statistics, mathematics, physics, computer science & related fields) are encouraged to apply. Strong candidates from a primarily wet-lab or M.D. background, who wish to develop sophisticated quantitative skills will also be considered. Experience working in pediatric cancer is an advantage but not necessary.

　　Benefits for Postdocs

　　St. Jude is one of the most highly ranked and best-funded research institutions in the world. Postdocs have outstanding health/dental insurance, relocation expenses and annual funding for attending meetings. Postdoc salaries at St. Jude are slightly higher than the standard NIH rate and cost-of-living in Memphis is much more affordable than other major academic centers (Boston, New York, Chicago, California).

　　Contact

　　Please email a CV to paulgeeleher {at} gmail {dot} com….