Postdoctoral Fellowship in Bioinformatics and Statistics

The Center for Toxicoinformatics (http://www.fda.gov/nctr/science/centers/toxicoinformatics/) of the U.S. FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) at Jefferson, Arkansas seeks qualified postdoctoral candidates in the field of bioinformatics and statistics. Three positions are immediately open, with the potential for two more positions to open later in the year. The positions require a diverse range of expertise in data mining, machine learning, statistics, and biology. The candidates should have experience in analyzing gene expression microarray data using Matlab and R-programming. Knowledge in toxicology, in generally, and hepatotoxicology in particular will be highly beneficial. The following experience and knowledge will be weighted into the decision making: Java and C programming, computational biology, communication skills (i.e., both written and oral presentations), and next-generation sequencing. The starting salary is ~50K. Higher salary could be considered depending on experience. U.S. citizenship or permanent resident alien status is preferred. Other applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis. This is an equal opportunity solicitation open to all qualified persons without regard to race, sex, religion, color, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era.

To express your interest in this position, email or mail your curriculum vitae, the names and contact information of two references, and a statement of research interests (maximum 2 pages) to:

Weida Tong, Ph.D. Director, Center for Toxicoinformatics FDA/NCTR, 3900 NCTR Rd., HFT-130, Jefferson, AR 72079 weida.tong@fda.hhs.gov, 870-543-7142

The Center for Toxicoinformatics has a broad range of projects in toxicology that are in support of FDA regulatory review processes. For example, our team is significantly involved in FDA’s Voluntary Genomics Data Submission (VGDS) program and associated development of best practices for industry in submitting pharmacogenomics data in the regulatory process. Other highly visible projects are: (1) development of the FDA genomic tool, ArrayTrack; and, (2) leading the MicroArray Quality Control (MAQC) and the Sequencing Quality Control (SEQC) consortia. In addition, the team specializes in developing subject matter-specific knowledge bases such as for hepatotoxicity and endocrine disrupting compounds; knowledge base development relies on such skills as text mining, computational modeling, chemoinformatics, and QSAR. Successful candidates will join a dynamic, cutting-edge group to learn and develop applications and methods for omics data analysis and biomarker discovery in the FDA. Specifically, he or she, depending on the interest and experience, will:

• Participate in the FDA VGDS program to learn how toxicogenomics is being applied in drug development and how toxicogenomics data are being reviewed in the FDA

• Gain hands-on experience with the FDA genomic tool, ArrayTrack and other bioinformatics tools for supporting the research and regulatory review in the FDA

• Participate as a collaborator in the FDA-led MAQC and SEQC projects

• Contribute to the development of the FDA Liver Toxicity Knowledge Base

• Assist in developing and implementing electronic data submission systems in the FDA

NCTR, located 35 miles south of Little Rock, Arkansas, is a research center of the FDA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The mission of NCTR is to conduct peer-reviewed scientific research that supports and anticipates FDA’s current and future regulatory needs. This involves fundamental and applied research specifically designed to define biological mechanisms of action underlying the toxicity of products regulated by the FDA. Research is aimed at understanding critical biological events in the expression of toxicity and developing methods to improve assessment of human exposure, susceptibility, and risk.