"Postdoctoral Research Associate (RNA Transcriptomics in Alzheimer's Disease) - Psychiatry"

Position Summary

We are hiring a postdoc to work with RNA-seq data in order to identify circRNA implicated in complex traits including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and stroke using novel and integrative computational and statistical analyses.

Recent studies from the lab have demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are associated with Alzheimer’s disease status and when measuring in blood can be used as disease biomarkers. We have generated brain and blood transcriptomic data in thousands of samples with several neurodegenerative diseases with emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other dementias with the goal of understanding the biology of these diseases, to define novel biomarkers, and to identify novel therapeutical targets.

We are seeking motivated postdocs with strong analytical skills to join our effort and generate novel insights of neurodegeneration with this unique dataset, while working in a highly dynamic multidisciplinary and collaborative environment. The new postdoctoral fellow will join a large team, currently twenty members, which is led by three faculty members and three senior scientists.

The candidate will hold a PhD in Statistics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Biostatistics, Statistical Genetics, Medical Statistics, Mathematics or similar. The candidate should have a strong background in second-generation sequencing analyses (RNA) with focus on circRNAs, pathways analyses and biomarker discovery. Knowledge of GWAS analyses (PLINK and SKAT-O), and multivariate and mixed model analyses are also recommended.

This position will be located at Dr. Cruchaga’s lab in the NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center (Department of Psychiatry) at WashU.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

Information on being a postdoc at WashU in St. Louis can be found at https://postdoc.wustl.edu/prospective-postdocs-2/.

Lab website: https://cruchagalab.wustl.edu/.

Trains under the supervision of a faculty mentor including (but not limited to):

• Assists with grant preparation and reporting.
• Prepares and submits papers on research.
• Assists in the design of research experiments.
• Evaluates research findings and assists in the reporting of the results.
• Maintains conformity with ethical standards in research.
• Maintains compliance with good laboratory practice including the maintenance of adequate research records.
• Engages in open and timely discussion with mentor regarding possession or distribution of material, reagents, or records belonging to their laboratory and any proposed disclosure of findings or techniques privately or in publications.
• Collegial conduct towards co-trainees, staff members and members of the research group.
• Adherence to all applicable University policies, procedures and regulations. All data, research records and materials and other intellectual property generated in University laboratories remain the property of the University.

Working Conditions:

This position works in a laboratory environment with potential exposure to biological and chemical hazards. The individual must be physically able to wear protective equipment and to provide standard care to research animals.

Salary Range:

Base pay is commensurate with experience.

Applicant Special Instructions:

In addition to this application, interested candidates should also send a cover letter and a copy of their CV to Pooja Arshanapally, Administrative Coordinator at apooja@wustl.edu.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Ph.D., M.D. Or Equivalent Terminal Or Doctoral Degree.

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

No specific work experience is required for this position.

Preferred Qualifications

Work Experience:

Bioinformatics Or Related Discipline (1 Year)

Skills:

Alzheimer's Disease, Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Cellular Neurobiology, Collaboration, Data Analysis, Data Interpretations, Experimentation, Genomics, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Techniques, Mathematics, Multitasking, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neuroscience, PLINK (Software), Researching, Results Reporting, RNA Sequencing, Scientific Writing, Teamwork