The Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research is recruiting a postdoctoral fellow. The Center is led by a group of Principal Investigators, including Drs. Scott Vrieze, Monica Luciana, Sylia Wilson, William Iacono and Matt McGue. Since its inception, the Center has provided an intellectually rich environment and research tradition on the nature and origins of individual differences in human behavior and physiology. The postdoctoral fellow will have opportunities to work on large-scale genome-wide association studies of addiction and psychopathology.
These include world-wide consortium efforts to map genotype to phenotype in diverse populations (~3.5 million people) from around the globe, as well as studies of rare variants in hundreds of thousands of diverse deeply sequenced whole genomes. At the same time, the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research maintains decades-long longitudinal cohorts of twins and adoptees (N~10,000), in which we evaluate the developmental course of genetic and environmental etiology across a broad range of individual differences.
The University of Minnesota is a beautiful urban campus in Minneapolis, Minnesota, known for its extensive parkland, rivers, and lakes. Maybe not surprisingly, Minnesota ranks highly in the USA in the health and well-being of its population. The seasons are lovely, with hot summers and lake activity, cold winters and winter sports, and long stretches of transition in spring and fall. It is a thriving metropolitan area of three million people, with the University of Minnesota the flagship academic institution of the state, with a large NIH and NSF research budget. A great deal of diverse and important work is being conducted at the intersection of genetics, brain-behavior relationships, and psychopathology. Join us!
How to apply:
Visit: https://hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/339320
Or contact Prof Scott Vrieze directly (vrieze@umn.edu)
Required Qualifications:
Ph.D. in field related to statistical genetics or behavior genetics (e.g., Psychology, Biostatistics, Computation Biology), to be completed by the start of employment. Candidates should be able to demonstrate authorization to work in the United States at the University of Minnesota by the start date.
Experience with genetic studies of behavior.
Desired Qualifications:
Experience conducting genetic association study meta-analysis of complex traits and disease for common and rare variants.
Ph.D. in relevant field and with background in statistical or psychiatric genetics
Excellent written communication skills as demonstrated by scientific publications
Excellent organizational and time management skills
Proven ability to problem solve and excellent interpersonal skills
Job Duties/Responsibilities:
Duties include working on a large-scale genome-wide association study and whole genome sequencing analyses of psychopathology and addiction.
50% Conduct analysis of behavioral genetic data (e.g., GWAS, twin/adoption studies)
25% Manuscript preparations for peer-reviewed journals, including writing, editing, making figures, proofing and revisions
25% Discuss and plan new avenues of investigation. Assist in drafting proposals to procure research funding as needed.
Anticipated starting date is flexible. Initial appointment will be for 12 months but is renewable annually up to a maximum of three years, contingent upon satisfactory performance and availability of funding.