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The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute seeks a POSTDOCTORAL COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGIST AND DATA SCIENTIST FELLOW , under the Weeks Lab ( https://weekslab.dana-farber.org/ ) to work on an exciting computer vision deep learning project using images from human peripheral blood smears and bone marrow biopsies. The Weeks laboratory is highly collaborative and does multidisciplinary work related to early identification and risk stratification of blood cancers such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Housed within the Division of Population Sciences at Dana-Farber our work involves diverse scientists from various scientific domains and collaborations with division faculty members who are experts in modeling cancer risk, risk mitigation, early detection, prevention, and cancer care delivery. The primary project will be a collaborative effort with the Van Allen laboratory ( https://vanallenlab.dana-farber.org/ ) and hematopathologists of two large cancer research institutions.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

The qualified candidate will specifically focus on development of machine learning algorithms that effectively integrate pathology images (from peripheral blood smears and bone marrow slides) with clinical data (from clinical notes), and molecular data (from next generation sequencing) to enable prediction of clinical trajectories. A specific focus on advancing algorithm development through emerging deep learning techniques is especially of interest. The candidate will also evaluate and integrate existing tools and databases into high throughput pipelines and facilitate the display and the distribution of processed data. The data generated may provide support for novel clinical decision-making methods, identify novel biomarkers for rational drug discovery, and provide novel insights into hematopoietic biology through innovative analyses.

The primary project is a collaborative effort between investigators at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The Broad Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Motivated and productive candidates will find a wealth of opportunities to develop additional collaborative projects involving the analysis of human genetic data, human proteomics data, and clinical-genomic data sets will also be available.

The person hired for this position will join the team in this effort and will participate in the design and implementation of algorithms to analyze the data and integrate with other data sets including clinical outcomes data. This person will also help with the generation of tools needed for manipulating and preparing data for display; transferring data to external collaborators and data repositories; and will also help maintain, support, and document shared tools, code base, and data sets. As the software infrastructure evolves, this position is likely to present diverse and flexible opportunities - from deeper and more complex software design problems, to becoming more involved in the bioinformatic and analytic aspects of predictive modeling. The ideal candidate has experience with machine learning / artificial intelligence algorithm development and implementation and an interest in clinical applications of ML/AI.

• A Ph.D. in bioinformatics, genetics, statistics, mathematical, physical, or computer science, or comparable research experience, together with significant experience in computer programming and computational biological applications.

• A strong background in statistics and biology. Experience managing and curating large datasets and with machine learning techniques desired.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to perform both self-directed and guided research are required.

• Must demonstrate outstanding personal initiative and the ability to work effectively as part of a team.

• Ability to meet deadlines and efficiently multitask is a must.

• Ability to effectively collaborate across a range of individuals with different comfort toward computational biology, including oral and written communication skills.

• Ability to seek out mentorship and assistance as needed, while also being a mentor to other members of the community.

• Willingness to work in multi-disciplinary teams.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:

• Cancer biology background and/or strong interest

• Experience in Python and/or R is preferred

• Experience with cloud computing

• Willingness to learn new languages and tools as the field grows

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position may involve co-mentoring of students and other trainees joining the group, with opportunities for growth in developing multi-disciplinary teams that are project oriented.

Funding:

This is a fully funded position that will provide up to 3 years of postdoctoral salary and benefit support. The person hired will be encouraged and mentored through the process of applying for career development funding applications, including NIH K-level funding or comparable foundation awards. However, candidate support for the 3-year period is contingent upon performance and not the receipt of external funding.

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

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