Date Posted: 07/24/2023
Req ID:32970
Faculty/Division: Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Department: Dept of Molecular Genetics
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)
Description:
Overview:
The Laboratory for RNA-Based Lifeforms (https://RNAlab.ca) at the University of Toronto is an interdisciplinary research collective led by Dr. Artem Babaian. Our lab work is working at the state of the art for the detection and sequence analysis of RNA viruses and virus-like agents.
The sequence biodiversity of Earth’s RNA viruses and sub-viral agents is enormous and unexplored, at most 0.1% of the virome has been described. Computationally, we create the means for ultra-efficient virus discovery by combining modern informatics and massive (petabyte-scale) data analyses. Building upon the Serratus platform (www.serratus.io) we will explore the far limits of Earth’s Virome.
Learn more about Serratus:
- The initial Nature paper describing the project
- Overview talk from ISMB22: “Serratus: Hacking Earth’s Virome”
- CBC News story about the Serratus project
Key Duties:
Computational virology is undergoing a renaissance. We’re looking to support passionate, self-motivated scientists with a clear vision to take on high risk research ideas and move the field forward. Applicants should have a very strong background in virology, molecular genetics, immunology, ecology, pathophysiology and/or microbiology. Basic competencies in statistics and/or computational analysis is required. but We are extending the Serratus platform to incorporate multi-faceted data-integration using biological, ecological, and experimental determinants to better inform virus biology as well as human and animal disease. The Research Associate is expected to independently carry leading, designing and implementing a biological framework using large-scale computational data to interpret and predict the aforementioned factors.
Given the interdisciplinary specialization of the laboratory, we are looking for a candidate with a unique combination of a strong biological expertise coupled with demonstrable experience in data analysis. The applicant must have exceptional verbal and written communication skills, as they will be responsible for writing scientific papers, preparing data and text for grant applications, and communicating the results at national and international scientific conferences. Assistance with teaching, grant writing, and administrative duties is expected.
Qualifications:
- A PhD in Biology, Genomics, Virology, Microbiology or equivalent area of research
- Fluency in >=1 programming language such as R or Python
- 1+ years of related research experience in performing virus discovery, genome annotation, population genetics, phylogenetics, ecoinformatics, RNA structure-function analysis and/or protein structural analysis.
- Research experience in human clinical, veterinary, agricultural, marine, forest, extremophile or parasite microbiology, preference for a virology specialization.
- Experience writing scientific papers, preparing grant applications and presenting at conferences.
Notes:
- This position is a one (1) year term opportunity.
- All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
Closing Date: 02/29/2024,11:59PM ET
Employee Group: Research Associate
Appointment Type: Grant - Term
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: R01 -- Research Associates (Limited Term): $51,543 - $96,643
Job Category: Research Administration & Teaching
