Open Position : Postdoc in Computational Biology, Cambridge, UK

The genetics lab of Prof. Sir Bruce Ponder and the computational biology lab of Dr. Florian Markowetz at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute offer a joint position for a postdoctoral researcher interested in statistical and computational approaches to systems genetics in cancer.

The recent whole-genome scan for breast cancer [1] has identified five novel susceptibility loci. In follow-up work the strongest locus has been narrowed down to two SNPs in the intronic region of the FGFR2 gene [2]. However, a detailed understanding of the disease mechanism is still missing. This project will use a systems biology approach to elucidate the functional roles of FGFR2 and other cancer susceptibility genes. We will integrate diverse genomic data sources (including gene expression, SNPs, copy number variants and others) using statistical network methods [3]. The resulting networks will be used to identify key drivers of disease and their functional mechanisms. The methods developed in breast cancer will also be applied to other cancer types, e.g. lung cancer.

The position bridges between an experimental and a computational lab and is ideal if you are interested in data analysis and method development motivated by close collaborations with experimentalists.

The ideal applicant has a strong background in data analysis and statistical modelling (including knowledge of R or Matlab). Experience in medical or biological research is desireable.

If you are highly motivated to work in an interdisciplinary and very collaborative environment at an internationally recognized research institute, apply by sending your CV to Florian Markowetz at
florian.markowetz (at) cancer.org.uk.

For more information please visit http://www.markowetzlab.org

References

1. DF Easton, …, BAJ Ponder Nature 2007. PMID 17529967
2. KB Meyer, … , BAJ Ponder PLoS Biology 2008. PMID 18462018
3. F Markowetz and R Spang, BMC Bioinf, 2007. PMID 17903286