Postdoctoral Fellow - Statistical Genetics and Quantitative Genomics

The Amgen Postdoctoral program is committed to providing future scientists with an enriching environment to inspire innovation that will contribute to the development of human therapeutics.

Dr. Yi-Hsiang Hsu in the Computational Biology/Research department at Amgen Inc. is seeking a postdoctoral fellow. Despite the successes of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), important challenges remain that limit their impact on human biology and medicine, especially the fact that in the majority of cases the causal loci are located in non-coding regions and poorly understood. Recent advances in human regulatory and functional genomics (ENCODE, Roadmap Epigenomics Project and GTEX) and gene editing technologies (such as CRISPR/Cas9) allow us to overcome these challenges and gain a systematic understanding of the role of GWAS variants in human disease and complex traits. To translate human genetics findings from GWAS and NGS association studies to actionable therapeutic-target candidates, the research team has been developing network modeling approaches by incorporating information from human tissue-specific 3D genomics structure and gene regulatory circuits and landscapes to predict causal/functional variants and their targeted genes under each GWAS locus.

The Postdoc will carry out independent research and participate in projects that (1) generate HI-C seq, ATAC-seq, RNA-seq and Chip-seq data in human primary cells and utilize these data to construct 3D genome looping structure across the whole genome; (2) build prediction models to predict enhancer-promoter links (gene regulatory circuits; regulatory landscapes) in human primary cells; (3) apply AI-machine learning deep learning models such as CNN to identify underlying causal variants and targeted genes for GWAS/GWAS loci for complex disorders such as HF, AF, CVD, neurological disorders, immunological disorders and cancers from whole genome sequencing as well as other large biobanks such as UKBiobank; (4) apply biological networks and systems biology approaches to priority and identify potential druggable targets from the targeted genes from human genetics studies; and (5) be involved in wet lab experiments to functionally validate findings in cellular and/or animal models by CRIPSR/Cas9 gene editing approaches.

The Postdoc will interact with a diverse scientists of statistical geneticists, computational biologists and bench scientists at Amgen, as well as collaborators at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Harvard Medical School.

The assignment length is 3 years.

Basic Qualifications:

Doctoral degree (such as PhD, ScD, MD, etc.) at the time of appointment

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience dealing high-throughput sequencing data such as next generation sequencing, RNA sequencing, Chip-seq, ATAC-seq and/or Hi-C seq as well as experience using the ENCODE and Roadmap Epigenomics Project data
Expertise in the statistical analyses of next generation sequencing data or bioinformatics (especially in network/pathway modeling)
Experience in applying AI-machine learning deep-learning methods
Able to present findings and write papers in the field of study
Expertise with statistical genetics and network modeling algorithms
Familiarity and involvement in use of large scale omics data, such as ENCODE, Roadmap Epigenomics Project, GTEX, eQTL datasets, Hi-C and RNA-seq data etc
Involvement in GWAS and NGS (WES/WGS) association studies
Familiarity in use of human genetic resources (browsers and datasets) such as 1,000G Project, UK10K, ESP Project
Experience with molecular genetic approaches such as WGS, WES, RNASeq, chip-seq, chromosome conformation capture
Experience/knowledge in molecular characterization and functional studies geared towards elucidating the mechanistic basis for genetic associations (such as mass parallel reporter assay, etc.)
Strong publication track record in top tier journals
Comfort in working in a highly interactive and vibrant environment designed to promote frequent interaction and brainstorming
Passion and aptitude for teamwork
Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence and inspire

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If you're seeking a career where you can truly make a difference in the lives of others, a career where you can work at the absolute forefront of biotechnology with the top minds in the field, you'll find it at Amgen.

Amgen, a biotechnology pioneer, discovers, develops and delivers innovative human therapeutics. Our medicines have helped millions of patients in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses.

As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, Amgen fosters an inclusive environment of diverse, ethical, committed and highly accomplished people who respect each other but compete intensely to win. Together, we live the Amgen values as we continue advancing science to serve patients.

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.