Postdoctoral Researcher, Zhou Lab

Arc Institute • Palo Alto, CA

8h • $80,000

About The Position

The Zhou Lab is looking for motivated, hard-working and curious applicants. Our expertise is in single-cell epigenomic modeling. We use high-throughput single-cell multiomic technologies and build computational models to study spatiotemporal dynamics of gene regulation.
The successful candidate will play a crucial role in advancing the state-of-the-art in generative AI applied to biology, including DNA sequence, gene regulation, and perturbation modeling. You will focus on developing ML models for biological data, leveraging frontier approaches such as novel ML architectures, interpretability techniques, and more. You will also apply your models for important computational biology applications in genome mining, molecular technology development, and invention of new therapeutic approaches.
This role is a unique opportunity to advance state-of-the-art machine learning in genomics and cell biology, contribute to high-impact scientific discoveries, and help define how computational approaches shape our understanding and engineering of biology. You will work in a highly collaborative team with expert experimental biologists to realize the full impact of your work, and also have the opportunity to contribute to Institute-wide machine learning efforts such as Arc’s Virtual Cell Initiative.
Post-docs will be encouraged to lead independent projects resulting in high impact publications, present at conferences and prepare for long-term careers in academia or industry.

Requirements

• Doctorate (MD, PhD) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Genetics/Genomics.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment and be both an independent thinker and a highly collaborative team player.

Nice To Haves

• You are passionate about developing machine learning models with real-world applications and scientific impact.
• You have a strong understanding of modern deep learning, computational biology, and genetics.
• You are known for your ability to analyze/visualize complex datasets, build high-quality ML tools, draw meaningful conclusions, and work effectively in a multidisciplinary team.
• You are eager to learn and adapt new techniques.
• You are intellectually independent and are able to design new research directions and projects with input from your PI.
• You are excited about collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of experimental biologists and machine learning researchers at Arc.
• You are familiar with recently reported projects in the fields of AI for genomics and biological design, including DNA sequence to function models, genome language models, and single-cell foundation models.

Responsibilities

• Train and evaluate state-of-the-art machine learning models for genomics
• Design, perform, and analyze experiments for model applications
• Keep appropriate experimental records and documentation
• Analyze results with the Principal Investigator
• Collaborate with postdocs, students, and employees on model development and data analyses
• May mentor/train research associates, technicians, and students.
• Publish, present, and represent the Zhou lab in journals and conferences.
• Present at lab meetings, and participate in Arc-wide activities (seminars, science socials, symposiums, etc).

What This Job Offers

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