Postdoctoral Fellow in Population and Evolutionary Genomics of Pathogens

International Laboratory of Statistical and Computational Genomics Moscow, Russia

International Laboratory of Statistical and Computational Genomics (SCG Lab) in Moscow, Russia, invites applications for postdoctoral research positions in the field of population and evolutionary genomics of pathogens. The research of the laboratory is focused on developing novel mathematical models in population and evolutionary genomics. The main goal of our studies in the field of pathogen evolution is to predict, in some extant, the direction of evolution, e.g. we are interested to know which of the circulating genotypes of a pathogen have higher fitness and likely would be a dominating strain in the nearest future, what mutations allow to escape a host immunity, to increase the disease severity or to explain a pathogen survival under a drug treatment. We develop new methods to search for epistasis in genomes of clonally evolving organisms such as Influenza A viruses, SARS-Cov-2, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We study phylodynamics and phylogeography of pathogens uncovering the structures of outbreaks and host’s risk factors. We search for genes and mutations associated with acquisition of resistant phenotype of bacterial pathogens and interactions between genes associated with adaptation to antibiotics.

Requirements

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

●     Candidates must hold a recent PhD in the field of fields of mathematics, physics, computer science, bioinformatics 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 a strong background in some of the subjects such as mathematical modelling, probability theory, machine learning, computer simulations etc. and ability to conduct research, in particular develop mathematical models and methods for data analysis, apply scientific software to real data. Biological knowledge is not necessary, and candidates with pure mathematical and computer science background are strongly encouraged to apply for the position.

●      Fluent English is an obligatory condition as research and other activities are conducted in English. Knowledge of Russian is not required;

●     Relevant experience will be an asset although not required.

The position involves:

●     working under the direct supervision of Alexey Neverov, PhD, research fellow of SCG lab;

●     participants are encouraged to pursue their own research along with working on SCG Lab’s research projects such as:

o  development of deep learning and Artificial Intelligence-based methods for bacterial GWAS,

o  mathematical modelling of fundamental population and evolutionary processes,

o  studying of phylodynamics and phylogeography of pathogens,

o  application of machine learning for prediction of phenotypic traits of pathogens by genotype

●     writing research papers for international peer-reviewed journals in co-authorship with the members of the  SCG Lab;

●     participation in the events of the SCG Lab and other contribution to the Lab’s development;

●     public presentations of candidate’s own research to the academic community;

●     some teaching is encouraged, though not required.

Conditions

Appointments are made for one year. Postdoctoral fellows have high opportunity of renewal of the contract (no more than two times) in case of outstanding performance.

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.

The SCG Lab offers access to its resources, as well as HSE supercomputer and HSE library.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online. Please provide a CV, a statement of research interest and a recent research paper submitted via the 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 laboratory may not be reviewed.

Read more about the application process here.

The deadline for the applications is February 8, 2024

Apply now

For more information:

-       about Postdoctoral Fellowship - Frequently Asked Questions

-       about HSE university – official web-site

-       about the SCG Lab– official web-site of the laboratory or contact Alexey Neverov aneverov@hse.ru directly

-       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