Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first research university and home to nine world-class academic divisions working together as one university.

Salary: $63,480 - $80,000

Johns Hopkins University: Whiting School of Engineering

Description

Dr. Adam Phillippy is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join his research group at Johns Hopkins University beginning in 2026 or early 2027. The position will be based in the Department of Computer Science in the Whiting School of Engineering, with opportunities to engage with the broader Johns Hopkins research ecosystem, including the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Genetic Medicine.

The postdoctoral researcher will develop and apply computational methods across the problems of genome assembly, comparative genomics, gene annotation, pangenomics, personalized genomes, and rare disease clinical diagnostics, with the specific focus shaped by the candidate's interests. Much of this work leverages recently developed reference pangenome databases, and their corresponding data structures, that efficiently capture the genetic variation of a species. These methods can be applied to population-scale sequencing and to the genotyping of complex structural variation. While the approaches generalize to any species, they have direct applications to human health, including the identification of such variation in the genomes of rare disease patients. This work requires expertise in algorithm design (especially on strings and graphs), software engineering, bioinformatics, and efficient programming languages. The ideal candidate will be interested in developing novel, scalable algorithms and data structures for large genomic datasets and in translating them into real-world impact. Applicants with strong computer science, algorithmic, or software engineering backgrounds are encouraged to apply, even if their prior work has not specifically focused on genomics or bioinformatics.

This is a full-time, on-site postdoctoral position with an initial appointment of 12 months and the possibility of extension based on performance and funding. Strong candidates need not meet every qualification listed below.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related technical field
• Strong publication record in relevant peer-reviewed venues and evidence of impact as measured by citations to the candidate's own work
• Strong technical background in one or more of the following:
  • Bioinformatics
  • Genome assembly, alignment, annotation, and variant calling
  • Algorithm and data structure design, especially on strings and graphs
• Interest or experience in working on topics related to data compression, machine learning, high-performance computing, and scalable data structures
• Proficiency in a performant programming language such as C++ or Rust, a scripting language such as Python, and a shell / command line work environment
• Experience with tools such as common sequence aligners, assemblers, and pangenome software (e.g., minimap2, samtools, Verkko, vg, etc.)
• Ability to lead research projects independently, from problem formulation through analysis, implementation, and publication
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Interest in working in a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae and contact information for at least writers of letters of reference. Please also indicate your earliest possible start date.

Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first research university and home to nine world-class academic divisions working together as one university.

Salary: $63,480 - $80,000

Johns Hopkins University: Whiting School of Engineering

Description

Dr. Adam Phillippy is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join his research group at Johns Hopkins University beginning in 2026 or early 2027. The position will be based in the Department of Computer Science in the Whiting School of Engineering, with opportunities to engage with the broader Johns Hopkins research ecosystem, including the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Genetic Medicine.

The postdoctoral researcher will develop and apply computational methods across the problems of genome assembly, comparative genomics, gene annotation, pangenomics, personalized genomes, and rare disease clinical diagnostics, with the specific focus shaped by the candidate's interests. Much of this work leverages recently developed reference pangenome databases, and their corresponding data structures, that efficiently capture the genetic variation of a species. These methods can be applied to population-scale sequencing and to the genotyping of complex structural variation. While the approaches generalize to any species, they have direct applications to human health, including the identification of such variation in the genomes of rare disease patients. This work requires expertise in algorithm design (especially on strings and graphs), software engineering, bioinformatics, and efficient programming languages. The ideal candidate will be interested in developing novel, scalable algorithms and data structures for large genomic datasets and in translating them into real-world impact. Applicants with strong computer science, algorithmic, or software engineering backgrounds are encouraged to apply, even if their prior work has not specifically focused on genomics or bioinformatics.

This is a full-time, on-site postdoctoral position with an initial appointment of 12 months and the possibility of extension based on performance and funding. Strong candidates need not meet every qualification listed below.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related technical field
• Strong publication record in relevant peer-reviewed venues and evidence of impact as measured by citations to the candidate's own work
• Strong technical background in one or more of the following:
  • Bioinformatics
  • Genome assembly, alignment, annotation, and variant calling
  • Algorithm and data structure design, especially on strings and graphs
• Interest or experience in working on topics related to data compression, machine learning, high-performance computing, and scalable data structures
• Proficiency in a performant programming language such as C++ or Rust, a scripting language such as Python, and a shell / command line work environment
• Experience with tools such as common sequence aligners, assemblers, and pangenome software (e.g., minimap2, samtools, Verkko, vg, etc.)
• Ability to lead research projects independently, from problem formulation through analysis, implementation, and publication
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Interest in working in a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae and contact information for at least writers of letters of reference. Please also indicate your earliest possible start date.