NIH-funded postdoc fellowship in computational biology at the Univ. of Pennsylvania

An NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship (2 years, renewable for another 2) is available in the computational biology group of Hannenhalli and Plotkin at the University of Pennsylvania. The research project aims to understand the evolutionary forces that shape genetic variation at regulatory and protein-coding sites in eukaryotic genomes. A primary focus will be the development of methods that quantify natural selection on and epistasis among regulatory and protein-coding SNPs. Open questions include the relationship between selection pressures on sites and their role in either regulation, structure, or function of proteins.

Areas of interest in the Plotkin and Hannenhalli group include mathematical population genetics, the evolution of gene regulation, and the computational identification of regulatory sites. Requirements for the position include: a proven record of self-motivated research; a PhD in computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics, biology or related area; excellent quantitative skills. The candidate must be familiar with scientific programming, and should ideally have experience with analyzing sequence data, SNP data, and protein structural information.

The fellowship provides a competitive annual stipend plus benefits and health insurance. Start date and term are negotiable. Highly motivated applicants, of any nationality, are encouraged to email a statement of research interests, CV, and contact details for three references to jplotkin [at] sas.upenn.edu or sridharh [at] pcbi.upenn.edu.