At the SBIMB we are developing a precision medicine platform that will identify molecular biomarkers and genetic variants linked to type 1 diabetes, and translate these findings into an Africa-appropriate genetic test using Oxford Nanopore technology. We are looking for two postdoctoral fellows who will bridge the gap between the lab and the clinic through the development of new software tools that will relate medical and genetic data to disease risk and outcome. The first role is a bioinformatician, who will search for pathogenic variants and biological markers though the analysis of new genetic sequence data that we are collecting from local African populations. The second post is for a computational biologist or data scientist who will develop machine-learning algorithms to link this data with clinical diagnosis, generating relevant actionable or pertinent information for the clinician.
Both positions require a PhD in a relevant subject, several years' experience in manipulating large human genetic datasets, excellent programming and scripting skills, and the ability to work well within a multidisciplinary team of molecular biologists, bioinformatics scientists and clinicians. An entrepreneurial spirit, and a willingness to develop your own research interests in support of both the precision medicine platform and the H3Africa/AWI-Gen programs are a must. A good understanding of the principles of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, and the principles of software design, including UI/UX development, backend programming, and database design, will be an advantage.
To apply for either of these positions, please email stuart.ali@wits.ac.za stating which position you are interested in, and provide a letter motivating your suitability in the context of past experience and current ambition, plus a brief CV citing relevant stages of your career.
We shall start considering applications on 6 March 2018
PhD in bioinformatics, computer science or related discipline.
Please submit one PDF document containing a (1) a cover letter; (2) A CV including publication list and details of three contactable references. We shall start considering applications by 6 March 2018.