Senior Scientist - Wan Lab

Hiring Department

Life Sciences Center

Job Description

The Wan Influenza Systems Biology Lab seeks applications for a Senior Scientist in Computational Biology. The lab is affiliated with the Departments of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (School of Medicine), Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (College of Engineering), and Veterinary Pathobiology (College of Veterinary Medicine), and is part of NextGen Center for Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases (CIEID) and Bond Life Sciences Center (LSC).

Our research integrates clinical, experimental, computational, and translational approaches to study influenza transmission, including mechanisms of spread, viral evolution, and host immune responses. Our goal is to improve vaccines and antiviral strategies, reduce disease burden, and mitigate outbreaks.

Responsibilities:

• influenza transmission and epidemic outbreaks, including developing advanced deep learning models to predict emerging antigenic and genetic variants in human and animal populations and modeling how these variants drive continued circulation and disease outbreaks;
• effects of prior exposures and infection, including developing within-host and deep learning models to understand molecular, cellular, and host factors, particularly pre-existing immunity from prior exposures, that shape immune responses, viral transmission, and spread; and
• omics analyses, including developing and applying integrative approaches to analyze genomics, single-cell RNA sequencing, and glycomics data to investigate host–pathogen interactions and mechanisms of disease progression and burdens.

The candidate will be expected to lead a computational biology team, including postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and junior lab members, and to publish in peer-reviewed journals. The computational team will work closely with experimental researchers to support data generation and validation across human studies, animal models, and laboratory-based approaches. Additional responsibilities include contributing to project reports and grant preparation. Strong motivation and the ability to work collaboratively within a diverse, interdisciplinary team are essential.

We support professional growth through collaborations with leading researchers at MU and beyond, along with opportunities for grant writing and independent project development.

Shift

Onsite, Monday - Friday, 8am – 5pm

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in related/relevant area and at least 4 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary.

Preferred Qualifications

PhD in Computer Science, Computational Biology, or a related field, with postdoctoral (or equivalent) research experience. Demonstrated expertise in computational modeling, machine learning (particularly deep learning), and analysis of large-scale biological datasets (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, or other omics data). Strong programming skills (e.g., Python, R, or similar), experience with high-performance computing environments, and a track record of peer-reviewed publications are highly desirable.

Anticipated Hiring Range

Salary Range: $72,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year

Grade: GGS 011

University Title: Senior Scientist

Application Materials

Cover letter & Resume/CV