Senior Research Scientist

University of Louisville•Aurora, CO

15h•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics is seeking Senior Research Scientists that will lead independent and collaborative research in immunogenetics and population genetics within the laboratory, with a strong emphasis on bioinformatic analysis of complex, highly polymorphic immune-related genomic regions. The position is responsible for designing and executing studies of these regions, developing and applying bioinformatics pipelines to analyze large-scale genomic and single-cell datasets, and translating results into high-impact publications. The role also contributes to securing research funding and to mentoring and developing junior members of the lab. Two (2) positions available.

Requirements

PhD in a related field and four (4) years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Grade 8 (Salaried)

Nice To Haves

PhD in Genetics or a related field and five years of postdoctoral experience, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Expertise in immunogenetics and the analysis of complex, highly polymorphic genomic regions such as the HLA, KIR, and immunoglobulin/T-cell receptor loci.
Experience with immune repertoire sequencing (BCR/TCR), including at single-cell resolution.
Strong background in population genetics, including studies of admixed and underrepresented populations and signatures of natural selection.
Experience with long-read and single-cell long-read sequencing, and with pan-genome or graph-based reference approaches.
Record of productive international and multidisciplinary collaboration.
History of securing competitive fellowships or grant funding.
Strong data visualization and statistical analysis skills in R.
Experience mentoring or co-supervising junior researchers and students.
Strong track record of peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Proficiency in R and/or Python, with demonstrated experience analyzing single-cell datasets.
Demonstrated experience developing bioinformatics workflows for high-throughput sequencing data (genome, exome, and/or transcriptome).

Responsibilities

Develop and draft grant proposals to secure funding necessary for the operation and growth of the laboratory.
Mentor and supervise graduate and undergraduate students in their research projects, providing guidance and support.
Design, lead, and independently execute research projects in immunogenetics and population genetics, from study conception through publication.
Develop, optimize, and maintain bioinformatics pipelines for the analysis of complex and highly polymorphic genomic regions (e.g., HLA, KIR, and immunoglobulin/T-cell receptor loci).
Analyze high-throughput sequencing data, including whole-genome, whole-exome, bulk RNA-seq, and single-cell RNA-seq datasets.
Lead the preparation of manuscripts and present findings at national and international conferences.
Manage collaborations with internal and external research partners.
Contribute to experimental design, data quality control, reproducibility, and day-to-day scientific operations of the lab.