Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology Smith Lab

About the role

The Department of Biology at Indiana University Bloomington invites applications for a post-doctoral research position under the supervision of Dr. Chris Smith. The lab—in the Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior section—investigates machine learning approaches for spatial population genetics. Our research integrates custom neural architecture design, simulations, and publicly available genomic datasets to develop new inference methods.

Responsibilities

• Designing, implementing, and overseeing research projects focused on methods development for understanding genetic variation within and between populations
• Building computational pipelines for conducting simulation experiments and analyzing genomic sequencing data
• Writing scientific publications and presenting findings at conferences
• Actively participating in lab meetings and discussions

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in computational biology, bioinformatics, computer science, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience leading computational research projects
• Expertise in population or evolutionary genetics is preferred but not required

Required skills

• Experience with Python
• Experience with high performance computing
• Development of reproducible analysis pipelines
• Strong time management and organizational skills
• Ability to work effectively as a team
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Dependability, initiative, and professionalism

Preferred skills

• Experience with population genetics
• Experience with deep learning libraries (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and development

Pay, schedule, and benefits

• Initial appointment is for one year, with potential reappointment for additional years contingent upon satisfactory performance and funding availability
• Salary commensurate with experience
• Full benefits included

Application instructions

Please submit (1) a cover letter describing your research and educational background, career goals, why you are interested in the position, and the date you are available to start; (2) a current CV; (3) the names and contact information for two references at the following link: https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/32511.

For questions about the position, contact Chris Smith at chriscs@iu.edu.