Postdoctoral Fellow – Genetic Epidemiology

This position offers an exciting opportunity to work with large epidemiological datasets on diverse populations with a focus on African ancestry populations, contributing to cutting-edge research aimed at disentangling the determinants and underlying mechanisms of cardiometabolic diseases in these populations. African ancestry populations are disproportionally affected by cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. The reasons for this disproportionate burden are poorly understood, but they are thought to result from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. African-ancestry populations are severely unrepresented in research studies, particularly in genomics research, while insights from these types of studies are needed to better understand the underlying causes of cardiometabolic diseases in these populations and develop appropriate treatment and prevention efforts. The Postdoctoral Fellow will work on study design, study implementation, data analysis, and drafting of manuscripts on projects focused on identifying genetic, epigenetic, metabolic, and lifestyle factors for cardiometabolic diseases in multiple diverse populations including Africans living in Africa, African migrants living in the US and Europe, as well as African Americans. There will ample opportunity to present, publish, and kickstart a fruitful career in academia or industry. The Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition (https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/endocrinology/) is located in the new Health Sciences Research Facility III building in Baltimore, which is equipped with state-of-the art laboratories and cutting-edge technology. Career development support and training opportunities will be available within the lab and through the Center for Advanced Research Training and Innovation (https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/carti/).

Minimum qualifications: Candidates should be close to obtaining a PhD, or have obtained a PhD within the past five years, in genetic epidemiology, statistical genetics, genomics, epidemiology/public health, computational biology, bioinformatics, or a related field. Applicants must have experience or interest in developing expertise on genomic, epidemiologic, and bioinformatic approaches to investigating the genetic architecture of complex traits. Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with performing (genetic) epidemiological data analysis.
• Familiarity with programming languages such as R, Python or UNIX-like operating systems.
• Good organization and communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
• Fluent in both spoken and written English. While this position requires biomedical computational skills, applicants are highly encouraged to apply even if they don’t have all the preferred qualifications, since it is understood that many skills will be learned on the job, including genomics data analysis and use of high-performance computing environments.

The University of Maryland is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of sex, gender identity, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law or policy. We value diversity and how it enriches our academic and scientific community and strive towards cultivating an inclusive environment that supports all employees.