School Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Department/Area Biostatistics

Position Description

The Huttenhower group in the Department of Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (http://huttenhower.sph.harvard.edu) is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to lead molecular and microbiology research in the group’s laboratory. The successful candidate will be primarily based in the group’s wet lab, comprising facilities for microbial community sequencing (metagenomics, 16S, 18S/ITS, and viral), sample handling, and anaerobic microbiology. He or she will have the opportunity to take on research projects and mentoring roles as desired, the latter comprising oversight of the subset of students carrying out experimental work (in contrast to the group’s predominantly computational component).

As lead of the group’s experimental laboratory facilities, the Fellow will carry out microbial and microbial community research, including culture and data generation; assist with experimental design; mentor junior members in the lab; and develop and maintain lab safety and compliance documentation. He or she will also research and execute the purchase of equipment and major supplies. Major experimental activities include high-throughput sequencing, requiring nucleic acid extraction and next generation library preparation, as well as microbial cell culture. In addition, the successful candidate will train other lab personnel in safety, procedures, and techniques. Finally, the Fellow will design, plan, and conduct experiments in consultation with the PI, as well as overseeing IRB documentation in collaboration with other lab members creating and executing protocols.

The Huttenhower lab is broadly engaged in methods development and applied studies of the roles of the human microbiome in health and disease, with a focus on computational approaches to characterize biomolecular functions within these microbial communities and their interactions with host immunity and health. The group works closely with the Harvard Chan School, the Broad Institute, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the broader Boston biomedical and life sciences communities, resulting in a rich environment for quantitative, computational, and laboratory collaborations. Funding is available for two years, contingent upon annual reviews, with an expectation of extension and expansion for subsequent years. If successful, the Fellow will have the opportunity to continue with the group in more senior Research Associate/Scientist roles in the future.

Basic Qualifications

Biology, ideally microbiology, molecular biology, or a related field required; familiarity with bioinformatic environments (R/Python/etc.) is beneficial but not required; familiarity with microbial community studies is desirable; research productivity as indicated by publication record; ability to communicate scientific material and collaborate well.

Contact Information

Nicole Levesque

Contact Email

levesque@hsph.harvard.edu

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.

Minimum Number of References Required 2

Maximum Number of References Allowed 5