Postdoctoral Fellow

About the role

The Wohl Lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to develop and evaluate sampling strategies for pathogen genomic surveillance and collaborate with international stakeholders to analyze pathogen genomic data. The lab uses genomic techniques to understand the evolution and spread of disease-causing human pathogens, conducting research at the intersection of infectious disease epidemiology, theoretical methods, and public health. We aim to harness the full potential of sequencing data through empirical study and methodological innovation, working towards a more complete understanding of evolutionary mechanisms of viral and bacterial pathogens and developing better ways to account for sampling biases in phylogenetic and analytical results. We are also passionate about ensuring sequencing capacity and study design expertise are in the hands of local public health experts best positioned to respond to pathogen threats. The selected candidate will also work closely with the Grad Lab at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with collaborators in the Grad Lab to develop, simulate, and evaluate genomic sampling and analysis strategies
• Develop a simulation framework for pathogen transmission and apply it to evaluate epidemiological information gained under different genomic sampling scenarios
• Engage with international stakeholders to identify priority public health pathogens and evaluate plausible genomic surveillance strategies
• Leverage AI tools to build pathogen genomic datasets from publicly available data and metadata
• Guide development of accessible tools for genomic surveillance program design
• Perform and/or support pathogen genomic analyses conducted in public health settings

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in infectious disease epidemiology, computational biology, applied statistics or mathematics, or similar (pending doctoral degrees will be considered)
• Experience in transmission dynamics modeling of infectious diseases, pathogen genomics, bioinformatics, and/or applied statistics (preferred)

Skills

• Strong programming skills in scripting languages such as Python and/or analysis tools such as R
• Experience with next-generation sequencing data or phylogenetic analysis, AND/OR experience applying statistical methods to study design, population dynamics modeling, or population genetics
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of multi-disciplinary teams and international collaborations

Pay

$71,750 to $79,199 annually (commensurate with years of experience).