"Postdoctoral Associate - Statistics"

Position Summary

The Department of Statistics has an open Postdoctoral Research Associate position to work under the direction of Professor Marek Kimmel. The Kimmel Group focuses on statistical and population genetics and the genomics of human disease, systems biology (including the modeling of signaling pathways and biomolecular structure-function relationships), and stochastic modeling of disease processes such as progression, detection, and treatment, with primary applications in cancer research. The group has a strong, well-documented record of interdisciplinary collaboration, working closely with cell and molecular biologists, geneticists, epidemiologists, and physicians, as well as pure and applied mathematicians, to develop and analyze mathematical and computational models of cancer.

The postdoctoral researcher will conduct mathematical and computational analyses, as well as statistical inference, for models describing the proliferation, mutation, and selection of blood cell precursors in human bone marrow. A primary focus will be advancing the group's work on clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), a condition associated with an increased risk of leukemia. From a mathematical perspective, this work involves branching processes in fluctuating environments, informed by extensive and rapidly growing biological datasets. Approximately 50% of the postdoc's time will be reserved for pursuing independent research within a closely related area.

This position is a one year term-limited position is funded by a grant, soft and/or restricted funds. Continued employment is contingent on the renewal of funding.

Workplace Requirements

On-campus position: This position is exclusively on-site, requiring all duties to be performed in person at Rice University. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range

$65k

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements

• Ph.D. or other doctoral degree in Applied Mathematics, Computational Mathematics, Mathematical Biology, Statistics, or related fields
• No experience required

Skills

• Strong expertise in the theory and application of birth-death and related stochastic processes
• Proficiency in both frequentist and Bayesian statistical inference
• Familiarity with random simulations
• Demonstrated interest in the dynamics of biological systems

Essential Functions

• Conduct mathematical, computational, and statistical analyses of models describing the proliferation, mutation, and selection of blood cell precursors in human bone marrow
• Advance the group's research on clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), a condition associated with an increased risk of leukemia
• Develop and analyze branching process models in fluctuating environments informed by extensive recent biological data
• Develop research manuscripts and presentation materials highlighting postdoctoral research outcomes
• Attend required research meetings, including the NIH/NCI P01 grant's monthly meetings, weekly group seminars, and weekly meetings with Dr. Kimmel
• Performs all other duties as assigned