Postdoctoral Research Fellow - School of Public Health (Brownsville)

UTHealth Houston • Brownsville, TX

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Border Health Research Center at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health invites applications for a full-time Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Genetic Epidemiology in Brownsville, Texas. The fellow will join an interdisciplinary team using large-scale genomic, multi-omic, and longitudinal data to investigate why cardiometabolic disease arises early and progresses rapidly in high-risk populations along the U.S.–Mexico border.

Research is anchored in the Border Health Research Cohort, a community-based cohort of more than 5,500 adults and children in South Texas, with extensive biobanking and longitudinal follow-up at the Cameron County and Starr County sites. The fellow will also work with major national and international consortia and biobanks, investigating how genetic, molecular, metabolic, and environmental factors shape risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, fatty liver disease, heart failure, and accelerated biological aging from childhood through adulthood.

The position involves leading independent research, integrating multi-omic data, applying statistical and machine learning methods, collaborating across research teams, publishing and presenting findings, contributing to grant development, mentoring, and promoting rigorous, reproducible science and responsible data stewardship. Employees must permanently reside and work in Texas. The position is security-sensitive.

Requirements

• Doctoral/terminal degree.
• Strong programming skills in R and/or Python, with experience in high-performance computing and Linux environments.
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative, team-oriented approach.
• Must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.
• Ability to maintain the security or integrity of critical infrastructure, where applicable to the position.

Nice To Haves

• PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics, statistical genetics, bioinformatics, computational biology, or a related field is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing large genetic, omic, or epidemiologic datasets.
• A strong record of, or clear potential for, first-author publications.
• Spanish language proficiency; welcome but not required.

Responsibilities

• Lead independent, hypothesis-driven research in genetic and molecular epidemiology.
• Integrate genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data to identify early molecular signatures of cardiometabolic disease.
• Apply advanced statistical and machine learning methods to longitudinal and pediatric cohort data.
• Lead analyses within multi-cohort consortia and collaborate with clinical, laboratory, and field teams.
• Publish in high-impact journals and present findings at national and international meetings.
• Contribute to grant development and build an independent research program.
• Mentor graduate students and research staff.
• Promote rigorous, reproducible science and responsible data stewardship.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• 100% paid medical premiums for full-time employees.
• Approximately 37–38 days per year of time off, including holidays, a preventative leave day, vacation, and sick time.
• Vacation accrual increases with tenure.
• Retirement/pension plan.
• Free financial and legal counseling.
• Free mental health counseling services.
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs.
• Employee discounts, including entertainment, car rentals, and cell phones.
• Resources for child and elder care.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree