Graduate Research Co-op, Population Genetics/Genomic Data Science

Ancestry • Lehi, UT

20h • Hybrid

About The Position

Ancestry is a human-centered company, a global leader in family history, connecting individuals with their past through over 65 billion records, 3.5 million subscribers, and 27 million people in their DNA network. The company is committed to a location-flexible work approach, allowing employees to choose between working in an office, from home, or a hybrid model. Ancestry fosters an inclusive and diverse work environment, valuing every idea and perspective, and encourages applications from minorities, women, the disabled, protected veterans, and all other qualified applicants, providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. This Graduate Research Co-op position is for candidates with strong experience in genomic data analysis and an interest in human populations and/or family history. Through mentorship, co-ops gain valuable research experience, applying cutting-edge computational and statistical approaches to the world's largest database of human genome and pedigree data. The role involves developing methods to help millions understand their ancestry and family. This is a part-time, work-study focused position for 6 months, intended for active master's and Ph.D. students to conduct innovative research on human populations and family history within the DNA Science team.

Requirements

• Currently enrolled in a Graduate program (Ph.D. preferred, or MS) in Population Genetics, or Genomic Data Science, or Machine Learning with an interest in applying it to genomics.
• Experience in applying computational and statistical methods to genomic datasets.
• Strong programming skills in Python or other languages that support efficient, large-scale data analysis and machine learning.
• A mindset for critical thinking and innovation and the ability to demonstrate progress on exploratory tasks.
• Ability to work up to 50% of your time at Ancestry while successfully balancing your graduate studies.
• Good communication skills and a desire to learn how to present complex genomics and statistical concepts to various audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with modern AI methods

Responsibilities

• Assist in analyzing Ancestry’s massive-scale genomic datasets to help uncover deep insights into population structure, demographic history, and fine-scale genetic relationship inference.
• Apply and/or develop novel statistical models and computational methods, including Machine Learning and Deep Learning approaches, to solve complex genomics challenges.
• Engage in exploratory research, learning to navigate complex research while maintaining a focus on identifying next steps and demonstrating progress towards research milestones.
• Contribute to work that will be published in scientific journals and present at conferences.
• Collaborate with the research team to explore how work can contribute to the Ancestry DNA product ecosystem and the broader scientific community.

Benefits

• Location flexible work approach, allowing you to choose to work in the nearest office, from your home, or a hybrid of both
• Broadened possibilities for employee diversity
• Inclusive as well as diverse work environment
• Reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees