Postdoctoral Research Officer - a joint position

[mbrozynska]

Research Officer

• Newly created role, based in Melbourne, Australia
• Full Time, 2 Year contract
• Generous Salary Packaging options

About Baker
Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute is an independent, internationally renowned medical research facility. Our work extends from the laboratory to wide-scale community studies with a focus on diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

About the Role
We seek a postdoctoral Research Officer (RO) who will be focused on computational/analytical research and jointly based in the Systems Genomics, Molecular Metabolism & Ageing and Lipid Metabolism and Cardiometabolic Disease Laboratories.

This is a joint position between the Systems Genomics (PI: A/Prof Inouye), Molecular Metabolism & Ageing and Lipid Metabolism (Dr Drew) and Cardiometabolic Disease (Dr Calkin) Laboratories at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.

The Systems Genomics group are a young and dynamic lab, which primarily operates in a dry (i.e. computational) environment. We aim to alleviate the burden of disease using our interdisciplinary strengths in statistics, computation and bioscience to leverage the latest genomic/biomolecular technologies. We straddle basic and translational research in diseases with strong immune/inflammatory aetiologies, such as cardiovascular disease, asthma and autoimmunity.
By leveraging the immense opportunities of large datasets, the group focuses on:

• building genomic risk scores for multi-factorial (complex) diseases then applying them to medicine and public health; and
• understanding the systems-level basis for disease through integrative network analysis of genes, metabolites, microbiota and health records.

The Molecular Metabolism & Ageing and Lipid Metabolism & Cardiometabolic Disease Laboratories aim to identify novel regulators of lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function as well as novel biomarkers of liver disease by taking an "omics" approach. Together they have set up a discovery platform combining lipidomics, proteomics, phenomics and genomics in genetically diverse preclinical models to identify novel targets, which are then validated in cell lines and preclinical models. They also integrate these data with human GWAS.


Duties
In this role you will be expected to:

• Lead multiple projects that aim to build and characterise gene, protein, metabolite and microbiota networks relevant to cardiovascular and metabolic disease
• Develop and apply machine learning and network analysis approaches to high-dimensional data from both experimental systems (e.g. mouse tissues) and human populations
• Identify molecular targets and relevant contexts for follow up using laboratory validation
• Provide genomics and bioinformatics expertise for experimental study design, data analyses and interpretation, and reporting of results.
• Coordinate the processing and analysis of data
• Develop new and/or revised research methodologies.
• Perform critical analyses of literature relevant to research
• Assist in the design and implementation of complex statistical techniques and data processing systems
• Organise data, research and analysis procedures

Skills and Experience
You will have:

• A PhD, MD, or MBBS in a quantitative discipline (such as bioinformatics, computational biology, computer science, statistics or epidemiology) and/or health science discipline (such as biochemistry, molecular biology or genetics/genomics)
• Research experience in genetics, genomics, computational biology or bioinformatics including significant experience in the statistical or computational analysis of large human genomic datasets. Experience in the management, processing and quality control of large datasets
• Experience statistical modelling of genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic or other omic data
• A high level of interpersonal skills, excellent oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to lead and participate positively in a team including coordinating activities of students and junior staff
• Experience of managing large datasets and establishing analysis pipelines, including those for basic sequence/genomic data quality control and processing
• Experience in statistical modeling of genomic or other omic data
• Well-developed time management skills, excellent planning and organisational skills
• Demonstrated attention to detail and accuracy
• Demonstrated ability to use Unix-based systems, compute clusters and related queuing systems, modern scripting/programming languages including R

Benefits
Salary is $79-85K + super and salary packaging, commensurate with the successful candidate's qualifications and experience.

Additional benefits include:
• On-site subsidised gym
• Close to St Kilda Rd and Chapel St

How to Apply
Applications should include a current resume, cover letter summarising relevant experience, and details of 3 professional referees quoting reference (MAB01) to be received by COB Monday 2 October 2017. For a position description or further information, please visit our website at: www.baker.edu.au and SEEK.

Contact details
Terry Schroeder, Senior HR Officer/Recruitment Specialist
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
03 8532 1111 or 03 8532 1575
[email protected]