Postdoctoral Research Assistant- Seifert

 

Available Title(s):

306-YN_FACULTY - Postdoctoral Research Associate

 

Business Title:

Postdoctoral Research Assistant- Seifert

 

Employee Type:

Faculty (+) (Fixed Term)

 

Time Type:

Full time

 

Position Term:

12 Month

 

Position Details:

 

Dr. Stephanie N. Seifert has a postdoctoral research associate position in collaboration with the NSF BII: Viral Emergence Research Institute (https://www.viralemergence.org/) within the Molecular Ecology of Zoonotic and Animal Pathogens Lab (https://labs.wsu.edu/mezap/) in the Paul G. Allen School for Global Health.

 

Summary of Duties:

 

The Postdoctoral Research Associate is responsible for advancing research projects for publication aimed at modeling the bat virome and decomposing the molecular basis of virus-host compatibilities. This position involves extensive analysis of genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data from various sources, including in vitro experimental data generated in the MEZAP lab. The associate will contribute to feature engineering of molecular data to develop innovative machine learning models to predict host-virus compatibility. The associate will contribute to workflows in R and/or python using GitHub and work as part of an interdisciplinary and highly collaborative team including virologists, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and computational biologists. The associate will attend MEZAP lab meetings, Verena team-wide meetings, and departmental seminars at WSU. Opportunities for scientific conference attendance and in-person Verena team meetings will be made available for the associate.

 

Required Qualifications:

 

• A recent Ph.D. in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Biology, Virology, Microbiology, Genetics, or a closely related field with a robust focus on genomic data analysis.

 

• Hands-on experience with genomic and transcriptomic data analysis, proficient in utilizing bioinformatic software and tools (e.g., R and/or Python).

 

• Demonstrated ability to model complex biological systems and integrate multi-omic data.

 

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with a proven track record of publishing scientific results.

 

• Capable of conducting independent research and managing a project from conception through to execution.

 

• Strong attention to detail with a critical thinking approach to problem-solving and research development.

 

• Ability to work with and contribute to diverse teams and promote an inclusive working culture

 

Preferred Qualifications:

 

• Strong foundation in virology, particularly in studying virus-host interactions and zoonotic diseases.

 

• Experience in ecological modeling and high-dimensional data representations (e.g., embeddings).

 

• Advanced skills in applying machine learning algorithms to biological datasets.

 

• Proven track record of effective collaboration within interdisciplinary teams, including working with ecologists and geneticists.

 

• Experience in overseeing research projects, including budget management and mentorship of junior researchers.

 

• Strong statistical analysis skills, with the ability to apply these methods to biological data.

 

Additional Information:

 

Area/College:

 

College of Veterinary Medicine

 

Department Name:

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