Senior Research Scientist

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Position Description:

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics is seeking Senior Research Scientists that will lead independent and collaborative research in immunogenetics and population genetics within the laboratory, with a strong emphasis on bioinformatic analysis of complex, highly polymorphic immune-related genomic regions. The position is responsible for designing and executing studies of these regions, developing and applying bioinformatics pipelines to analyze large-scale genomic and single-cell datasets, and translating results into high-impact publications. The role also contributes to securing research funding and to mentoring and developing junior members of the lab.

Two (2) positions available.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and draft grant proposals to secure funding necessary for the operation and growth of the laboratory.

• Mentor and supervise graduate and undergraduate students in their research projects, providing guidance and support.

• Design, lead, and independently execute research projects in immunogenetics and population genetics, from study conception through publication.

• Develop, optimize, and maintain bioinformatics pipelines for the analysis of complex and highly polymorphic genomic regions (e.g., HLA, KIR, and immunoglobulin/T-cell receptor loci).

• Analyze high-throughput sequencing data, including whole-genome, whole-exome, bulk RNA-seq, and single-cell RNA-seq datasets.

• Lead the preparation of manuscripts and present findings at national and international conferences.

• Manage collaborations with internal and external research partners.

• Contribute to experimental design, data quality control, reproducibility, and day-to-day scientific operations of the lab.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Genetics or a related field and five years of postdoctoral experience, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

• Expertise in immunogenetics and the analysis of complex, highly polymorphic genomic regions such as the HLA, KIR, and immunoglobulin/T-cell receptor loci.

• Experience with immune repertoire sequencing (BCR/TCR), including at single-cell resolution.

• Strong background in population genetics, including studies of admixed and underrepresented populations and signatures of natural selection.

• Experience with long-read and single-cell long-read sequencing, and with pan-genome or graph-based reference approaches.

• Record of productive international and multidisciplinary collaboration.

• History of securing competitive fellowships or grant funding.

• Strong data visualization and statistical analysis skills in R.

• Experience mentoring or co-supervising junior researchers and students.

• Strong track record of peer-reviewed scientific publications.

• Proficiency in R and/or Python, with demonstrated experience analyzing single-cell datasets.

• Demonstrated experience developing bioinformatics workflows for high-throughput sequencing data (genome, exome, and/or transcriptome).

Competencies

• Organized -- manages time effectively, keeps tasks appropriately prioritized.

• Work ethic -- motivated, diligent, industrious, respectful, and persistent in the workplace.

• Critical thinking -- ability to think through issues and identify appropriate problems.

• Teamwork -- ability to work with others and assist others, and take directions from others in the interest of moving processes and programs to the desired outcome.

Compensation will be commensurate to candidate experience.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Louisville is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. The University strives to provide equal employment opportunity on the basis of merit and without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, veteran status, marital status, or pregnancy. In accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veteran Readjustment Act of 1974, the University prohibits job discrimination of individuals with disabilities, Vietnam era veterans, qualified special disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, and other protected veterans. The University acknowledges its obligations to ensure affirmative steps are taken to ensure equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. It is the policy of the University that no employee or applicant for employment be subject to unlawful discrimination in terms of recruitment, hiring, promotion, contract, contract renewal, tenure, compensation, benefits, and/or working conditions. No employee or applicant for employment is required to endorse or condemn a specific ideology, political viewpoint, or social viewpoint to be eligible for hiring, contract renewal, tenure, or promotion.

Consistent with applicable law, demographic information is collected for aggregate reporting requirements. Demographic information provided through this application is not available to hiring managers/committees and is not considered in hiring or employment decisions.

Assistance and Accommodations

Computers are available for application submission at the Human Resources Department located at 2315 South First Street Walk, Room 02C - Louisville, Kentucky 40292.

If you require assistance or accommodation with our online application process, please contact us by email at [email protected] or by phone 502-852-6258.