Postdoctoral Fellow in Machine Learning for Bioinformatics

School of Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence

HSE University

Moscow, Russia

The School of Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of Computer Science, National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia, invites applications for postdoctoral research positions in bioinformatics.

About HSE University

The Higher School of Economics (HSE University) is a young, dynamic and fast-growing Russian research university. Over the past 25 years, HSE University has become a leader in Russian education, while also being recognized globally.

HSE is the first state-run university in Russia to begin recruiting on the international academic market. We aim at being a university with a highly attuned approach to training new professionals. Therefore, we are eager to hire people with real experience, as well as basic and applied knowledge. Committed to high-quality research, HSE University now has more than 100 research institutes and centres and over 30 international research laboratories collaborating with international specialists from all over the world.

The research topic

Mass spectrometry has become the de facto method to identify molecules in complex mixtures (e.g. blood, cell, food) in many areas. A mass spectrometer analyses a complex mixture of biological or chemical samples and produces tens of thousands of spectra from the input sample. These spectrum data can be considered as fingerprints of the samples and the main computational challenge is to identify the original materials (reverse engineering). Mass spectrometry is used in e.g.: (a) Proteomics to identify proteins in biological samples (e.g. blood), (b) Clinical applications to identify proteins related to cancer or other diseases, (c) Pharmaceutical analysis to determine the effects of new drugs, (d) Environmental contamination analysis to ensure that the air, drinking water, soils, and food are safe to consume and do not contain pollution, heavy metals, hormone, pesticides, and herbicides,  (e) Forensic analysis to trace of evidence in arson investigation, drug abuse, and (f) Metabolomics to identify small molecules used by bacteria for communication in microbiome, etc.

Research projects focus on development of deep machine learning methods to identify mass spectrometry data.

Requirements

The general requirements for the postdoctoral fellowship positions are the following:

• Candidates must hold a recent PhD in the field of bioinformatics, computer science, machine learning or related areas which was awarded over the last 5 years or received before starting work at HSE in a relevant field by an internationally recognized university and has been assessed by external reviewers as having the potential to pursue research that is publishable in leading peer-reviewed journals;
• Candidates should have experience with applied machine learning and should be able to work in a team and conduct their own research.
• Biological knowledge is a plus but not required.
• Fluent English is an obligatory condition as research and other activities are conducted in English. Working language is English. Knowledge of Russian is not required.

The position involves:

• working under the direct supervision of Dr. Attila Kertesz-Farkas;
• conducting your own research project;
• supervising and managing research work of MSc, BSc, and PhD students;
• writing research papers for international peer-reviewed journals;
• presenting your own research results to the academic community at international conferences.

Conditions

Appointments are normally made for one year. Postdoctoral fellows have an opportunity of renewal of the contract (no more than two times).

HSE University offers postdoctoral fellows a competitive salary, the standard medical insurance plan, a working space equipped with a computer and free Internet access at the University.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online. Please provide a CV, a statement of research interest and a recent research paper submitted via an online application form. At least two letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the International Faculty Recruitment Office at fellowship@hse.ru before the application deadline. Please note that direct applications to the hiring department may not be reviewed.

Read more about the application process here.

The deadline for the applications is February 9, 2020.

For more information:

• about Postdoctoral Fellowship - Frequently Asked Questions
• about HSE university – official web-site
• about the School – official web-site of the School 
• about international specialists' life in Moscow - International Faculty Support page

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact the International Faculty Recruitment Office at fellowship@hse.ru