"Post-Doctoral Fellow"

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Department: Department of Medicine and Division of Rheumatology

Job Title: Post-Doctoral Fellow

Position #00838927 – Requisition #37598

Job Summary:

The Zhang Laboratory (https://fanzhanglab.org/) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to join our team. Our lab focuses on developing and applying innovative statistical machine learning methods, single-cell multi-omics, and systems immunology approaches to investigate immune-mediated diseases. By integrating large-scale genomics and clinical datasets, we aim to uncover novel disease-associated mechanisms that can inform new therapeutic and preventive strategies for precision medicine. The successful candidate will: 1) Lead the development of computational pipelines for the integration of large-scale single-cell omics datasets, including single-cell CITE-seq, scATAC-seq, and spatial transcriptomics. 2) Identify disease-associated pathogenic signatures and cell populations to drive mechanistic studies for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Key Responsibilities:

• Apply advanced computational methods to analyze and integrate single-cell multiomics datasets to decipher cellular and molecular mechanisms for disease heterogeneity.
• Actively identify new opportunities to implement advanced computational pipelines, including machine learning, deep learning, Bayesian inference, and probabilistic mixed membership modeling for innovative research.
• Contribute to manuscripts for publications, assist grant applications, and participate in regular lab meetings and scientific activities.
• Communicate with the investigator, other team members, and external collaborators on their individualized data analysis.
• Work on an organized record of dry lab scientific research with interpretable data visualizations and results in Github (e.g., using Jupyter notebook).

Work Location:

Onsite – this role is expected to work onsite and is located in Aurora, CO.

Why Join Us:

At the Zhang Lab, we leverage cutting-edge computational AI techniques to drive high-impact research in translational medicine. Positioned at the intersection of the Department of Medicine's Division of Rheumatology and the Department of Biomedical Informatics' Center for Health AI, our team benefits from a unique environment that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration. We have access to valuable human preclinical and clinical biospecimens, enabling us to uncover novel disease-associated pathways with the goal of advancing personalized medicine. By integrating human cohorts, single-cell multi-omics technologies, and expertise in systems and computational biology, we generate high-profile research that bridges big data with clinical translation. Our work is supported by multiple NIH grants, including funding from NIAMS, the NIH AMP-AIM Team Science Leadership Scholars Program, and the Office of Research on Women's Health, as well as foundation grants from the Arthritis Foundation, Arthritis National Research Foundation, and PhRMA. The Zhang Lab's research has been published in leading journals such as Nature, Nature Immunology, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Methods, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Genome Medicine, and Bioinformatics.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD or MD/PhD degree in computational biology and genetics, or related quantitative biomedical sciences.
• Experience with R and/or Python packages.
• Experience working with Linux, including shell scripting.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD or MD/PhD degree in Bioinformatics, AI machine learning, and single-cell omics data modeling, or closely related fields.
• Proficiency in R or Python under Linux with contributions to source code.
• Strong track record of scientific productivity, including publishing systems immunology and genomics-related abstracts and papers.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Advanced knowledge of software engineer principles and analytical concepts in medical research.
• Advanced ability to analyze and solve computational problems and apply quantitative analytical approaches.
• Demonstrated fluency in one or more programming languages (e.g., R, Python) and willingness to learn new programming languages as necessary.
• Advanced knowledge of existing R or Python software packages used for standard machine learning.
• Excellent troubleshooting and code debugging skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and orally.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and multidisciplinary scientific projects with collaborators at all levels.

How to Apply:

For full consideration, please submit the following document(s): 1. A letter of interest describing relevant job experiences as they relate to listed job qualifications and interest in the position. 2. Curriculum vitae / Resume. 3. At least three professional references including name, address, phone number (mobile number if appropriate), and email address. 4. Links to at least one source code repository (e.g., Github). Applications are accepted electronically ONLY at www.cu.edu/cu-careers. Questions should be directed to: Dr. Fan Zhang, fan.3.zhang@cuanschutz.edu.

Screening of Applications Begins:

Immediately and continues until August 25, 2025.

Anticipated Pay Range:

The starting salary range for this position has been established as $47,743 - $62,232.