Postdoctoral Research Associate (Proteomics and Multiomics in Neurodegeneration) - Psychiatry

Position Summary

The Cruchaga lab at WashU Medicine has a fully funded Postdoctoral position to study Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disease proteomics signatures.

The Cruchaga lab generates and analyzes high-throughput multi-omic data to study neurodegeneration and diseases of the central nervous system with emphasis on Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other dementias. The ultimate goal of the lab is to understand the biology of these diseases, to define novel biomarkers, and to identify novel therapeutical targets. We have pioneered in the integration of genetics with omic data to identify proteomic signatures and develop novel predictive models for Alzheimer's, Parkinson, and Dystonia as well as to identify novel proteins and pathways implicated on disease pathogenesis.

We are currently analyzing brain, CSF and blood, multi-omic data (transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics), from a large collection of well-characterized samples to identify novel biomarkers and causal and druggable targets.

We are seeking motivated postdocs with strong analytical skills to join our effort and generate novel insights of neurodegeneration with this unique dataset, while working in a highly dynamic multidisciplinary and collaborative environment. The new postdoctoral fellow will join a large team, currently twenty members, which is led by three faculty members and three senior scientists.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Information on being a postdoc at Washington University in St. Louis can be found at https://postdoc.wustl.edu/prospective-postdocs-2/.
• Lab website: https://cruchagalab.wustl.edu/.

Research Projects:

• Plasma, CSF and Brain Proteomic analysis.
• Biomarker identification through the use of machine learning and AI approaches.
• Integration of proteomics with genetic data via MR, coloc and FUSION to identify causal and druggable targets.

Working Conditions:

• This position will be located at Dr. Cruchaga's lab in the NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center (Department of Psychiatry) at Washington University.
• Work takes place in a laboratory environment with potential exposure to biological and chemical hazards.
• The individual must be physically able to wear protective equipment and to provide standard care to research animals.

Salary Range:

• Base pay is commensurate with experience.

Applicant Special Instructions:

• In addition to this application, interested candidates should send a cover letter and a copy of their CV to Administrative Coordinator Pooja Arshanapally at apooja@wustl.edu.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Ph.D., M.D. Or Equivalent Terminal Or Doctoral Degree.
• Certifications/Professional Licenses: No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.
• Work Experience: No specific work experience is required for this position.
• Skills: Not Applicable
• Drivers License: A drivers license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

Required Qualifications:

• The successful applicant will hold, or shortly expect to obtain, a PhD qualification in Genetics, Bioinformatics, Computer science, Data science, Statistical Genomics or a related discipline involving the interrogation of 'omics' datasets.
• Hands-on experience with large-scale human omics (preferably related to neurodegeneration) studies is expected.
• Solid skills in at least one programming language (R, Python or Perl) and experience working in Linux and/or high-performance cluster environments.
• A strong ability to perform analytical reasoning to extract biological insights from data-driven approaches will be critical. In addition, familiarity to interrogate publicly available resources.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: No additional education unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.
• Certifications/Professional Licenses: No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.
• Work Experience: Bioinformatics Or Related Discipline (1 Year)
• Skills: Alzheimers Disease, Analytical Reasoning, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Computer Science, Data Analysis, Genetic Research, Human Genetics, Linux, Neurodegeneration, Parkinsons Disease, Proteomics, Python (Programming Language), Statistical Genomics, Teamwork, Work Collaboratively

Questions

• For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ.

Accommodation

• If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email CandidateQuestions@wustl.edu or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

All qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Pre-Employment Screening

• All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

• Washington University in St. Louis is committed to providing a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to our employees. Benefits eligibility is subject to employment status, full-time equivalent (FTE) workload, and weekly standard hours. Please visit our website at https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/ to view a summary of benefits.

EEO Statement

• Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. It is the University's policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, citizenship (where prohibited by federal law), age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.