Postdoctoral Researcher - Human Genetics, Proteomics, and Multi-Omics for Drug Target Discovery

McGill University • Montreal, QC

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Yoshiji Lab at McGill University is recruiting a fully funded Postdoctoral Fellow to lead projects at the intersection of human genetics, proteomics, and multi-omics for drug target discovery and precision medicine in cardiometabolic diseases and beyond. The successful candidate will analyze biobank-scale datasets — including UK Biobank (~500,000 participants), NIH All of Us (~440,000), the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA, ~26,000), and the McGill-based BioPortal, which the Yoshiji Lab co-leads (~3,000 participants with ~5,400 plasma protein measurements) — to identify and characterize causal proteins and genetic variants that can be translated into therapeutic targets. The Fellow will join a vibrant and growing team (5 PhD students, 1 MSc student, 1 visiting professor, and 1 visiting graduate trainee) and contribute to active international collaborations, including with the Broad Institute / Harvard, UCSD, Stanford, Kyoto University, Uppsala University, and the Type 2 Diabetes Global Genetics Consortium. Representative lab work includes the lab's recent Nature Genetics publication on proteome-wide Mendelian randomization and proteome-phenome mapping.

Requirements

• Hold, or be within ~6 months of completing, a PhD (or MD/PhD) in a relevant field — for example human genetics, statistical genetics, computational biology, bioinformatics, epidemiology, biostatistics, computer science, or a closely related quantitative discipline.
• Programming proficiency in at least R or Python (ideally both), plus comfortable use of Unix/Linux shell.
• Hands-on experience with high-performance computing (Slurm/PBS or equivalent) and/or cloud computing platforms.
• Working knowledge of at least one of: GWAS, Mendelian randomization, fine-mapping, colocalization, polygenic risk scores, or related statistical-genetics / causal-inference methods.
• Strong publication record appropriate to career stage, including at least one first-author peer-reviewed publication (or accepted preprint) in a quantitative biomedical area.
• Scientific writing and communication skills in English, including evidence of independent manuscript or thesis writing.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in an international, interdisciplinary team.
• Commitment to open, reproducible science (version control with Git, documented pipelines, data-sharing awareness).

Nice To Haves

• Experience with biobank-scale data (UK Biobank, All of Us, FinnGen, CLSA, BBJ, Million Veteran Program, or similar).
• Experience with plasma or tissue proteomics platforms (Olink, SomaScan, mass spectrometry).
• Experience with single-cell or spatial transcriptomics, or other multi-omics modalities.
• Familiarity with drug target discovery, target validation, or pharmacoepidemiology.
• Experience contributing to international consortia or leading multi-site analyses.
• Bilingualism in English and French (asset in Montreal, not required).
• Prior success obtaining competitive postdoctoral fellowships (CIHR, FRQS, Banting, HFSP, EMBO, JSPS, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Design and execute independent research projects applying Mendelian randomization, GWAS, fine-mapping, colocalization, polygenic scoring, and multi-trait / multi-ancestry methods to biobank-scale human genetics and proteomics data.
• Analyze plasma and tissue proteomics data (e.g., Olink, SomaScan) integrated with genotype, phenotype, and electronic health record data across UK Biobank, All of Us, CLSA, and the McGill BioPortal.
• Develop and maintain reproducible analysis pipelines in R, Python, and shell on HPC / Slurm clusters and cloud environments (e.g., DNAnexus, Terra, AWS/GCP).
• Write first-author manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and present at international conferences.
• Prepare and contribute to grant and fellowship applications (e.g., CIHR, FRQS, JSPS, HFSP).
• Collaborate with internal team members and external consortia, including joint analyses and co-authored publications.
• Contribute to lab life: mentoring graduate and undergraduate trainees, participating in lab meetings and journal clubs, and supporting shared infrastructure (code review, documentation, data governance).
• Uphold the highest standards of research integrity, reproducibility, and responsible use of human biobank data (ethics approvals, data access agreements, privacy).

Benefits

• Fully funded postdoctoral position at McGill University, one of Canada's leading research-intensive universities.
• Rich, biobank-scale datasets and compute infrastructure (HPC + cloud).
• Active mentorship from the PI, with clear expectations around first-author publications, fellowship applications, and independent career development.
• Vibrant, internationally collaborative lab environment, with established partnerships in North America, Europe, and Asia.
• Support to attend and present at major international conferences.
• McGill postdoctoral benefits package (health, parental leave, etc., per McGill Postdoctoral policies).
• Montreal — a vibrant, multi-cultural, affordable, research-dense city with a strong quality of life.

What This Job Offers

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