WRAIR - Postdoctoral Fellow in Viral Genomics, Bioinformatics, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

About the role

The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) is offering a postdoctoral-level fellowship in infectious disease research. As an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) participant, you will engage in projects that expand your knowledge and research experience in infectious disease research and genomic surveillance, with emphasis on respiratory and febrile/vector-borne pathogens of importance to the Department of Defense (DoD).

Responsibilities

• Developing new computational methods and analytical tools, with particular emphasis on machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches.
• Identifying signatures of viral adaptation, improving prediction of evolutionary trends, and integrating multiple data types for enhanced surveillance.
• Gaining advanced training in the use of bioinformatics platforms, phylogenetic and phylodynamic modeling, and modern machine learning frameworks.
• Increasing knowledge in areas that align with the WRAIR mission of advancing pathogen genomics and surveillance.

Requirements

• A completed Ph.D. in a relevant field within the last 5 years.
• Education and/or experience in genomics, bioinformatics, or computational biology.
• Extensive experience with Unix/Linux environments for managing and analyzing large-scale genomic data.
• Strong capability in programming languages commonly used in bioinformatics, including Python and R, for data analysis, statistical modeling, and visualization.
• Familiarity with high-performance computing (HPC) systems for large-scale data processing, parallelized workflows, and computationally intensive analyses.
• Demonstrated experience applying phylogenetic and phylodynamic methods to viral sequence data.
• Exposure to machine learning or artificial intelligence methods, particularly as applied to genomics or infectious disease data.
• Experience in next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis, including quality control, assembly, alignment, and variant detection.
• Evidence of independent research experience at the postdoctoral level, with a track record of scholarly publications or presentations in viral genomics, bioinformatics, or computational biology.
• Strong communication skills for effective collaboration in an interdisciplinary research environment.

Qualifications

• Qualified applicants will have an earned Ph.D. in one of the eligible disciplines.

Skills

• Strong background in genomics, bioinformatics, or computational biology.
• Expertise in Unix/Linux environments and programming languages such as Python and R.
• Experience with high-performance computing (HPC) systems and machine learning frameworks.
• Knowledge of phylogenetic and phylodynamic methods.
• Experience with next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis.
• Track record of scholarly publications or presentations in relevant fields.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Benefits

• Health Insurance Supplement
• Relocation Allowance
• Training and Travel Allowance

Pay

The stipend for this appointment is determined by WRAIR and is typically based on a participant's academic standing, discipline, experience, and research facility location.

Schedule

This appointment is a twelve-month research appointment, with the possibility to be renewed for additional research periods. Appointments may be extended depending on funding availability, project assignment, program rules, and availability of the participant.