Postdoctoral Fellow in Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science

POSTDOCTORAL JOB OPPORTUNITY

POSTING NUMBER: PD-19010
POSTING DATE: April 4, 2019
CLOSING DATE: April 20, 2019

Postdoctoral Fellow in BioinformaticsFaculty of Computer Science

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Beiko lab at Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to extend existing work in the inference of antimicrobial-resistance genes from metagenomic data. This work extends the current AMRtime project (https://github.com/beiko-lab/AMRtime), which uses rapid homology filtering and search alongside machine-learning methods to assign metagenomic sequences to specific classes of AMR genes.

The postdoctoral fellow will augment AMRtime with new models to better detect novel AMR variants that fall outside currently defined strict criteria for detection. Extending these models will require a combination of methods that encompass taxonomic assignment, sensitive homology search, mobile-element detection, and phylogenetics to differentiate legitimate AMR matches from homologs that do not confer a resistance phenotype.

The postdoctoral fellow will work under the supervision of Dr. Robert Beiko and will collaborate with other members of the project team, and be expected to give conference presentations and prepare journal articles based on their work. There will be opportunities to gain project-management experience through the ARETE project.

Requirements:

• Microbial ecology
• Antimicrobial resistance knowledge
• Analysis in R/Python
• Phylogenetics

Qualifications: This position requires someone with a PhD and a background in bioinformatics and/or microbial ecology.

Salary Range: $45,000 - $48,500
Start Date: Immediate
Duration of appointment: 1 year, with possibility of renewal

Deadline for application: Review of applications will begin on April 20, 2019. To receive full consideration, please submit your application by this deadline. Applications received after April 20 may also be considered.

Applicants should indicate the position ID in the email subject header. Interested parties should forward a cover letter, current CV and contact information of 2-3 references to:

Elvira Mitraka, PhD
[email protected]

Only applications submitted to the e-mail address above will be considered. We thank all applicants, however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Dalhousie University is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. The university encourages applications from Aboriginal people, persons with a disability, racially visible persons, women, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. For more information, please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity