Research Associate in Statistical Genetics (Post-doctoral)

Organisation/Company: KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Research Field: Computer science, Medical sciences, Mathematics

Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2), Established Researcher (R3)

Country: United Kingdom

Application Deadline: 10 Apr 2025 - 00:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract: Other

Job Status: Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

About us:

We are seeking an enthusiastic postdoctoral researcher with a PhD in genetics, statistics, epidemiology, data science, or related quantitative field to work on our Wellcome-funded project, AMBER, to identify the causal determinants of antidepressant response.

Our programme of genetic, informatic and cellular work will give insights into the ‘active ingredients’ of anti-depressants and infer how these drugs can better be used to treat depression.

About the role:

This postdoctoral role is a unique opportunity to apply cutting edge statistical genetics tools to international research studies to identify the genetic determinants of response to anti-depressants. The role will involve extensive collaboration with partner research groups at the Universities of Edinburgh and Queensland, with the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and with people with lived experience of depression (PWLE).

We are seeking an effective postdoctoral researcher with statistical and computational skills, experience in the analysis of human genetic data. You will have extensive previous statistical genetics experience, for example analysing genome-wide association studies and post-GWAS studies. You will probably have knowledge of unix/linux platforms, and a high level of expertise of programming in R or another statistical language. The role would suit a new PhD graduate enthusiastic to develop their psychiatric genetics skills further.

You should be able to demonstrate strong stakeholder management and strategic project planning skills, given the emphasis on cross-stakeholder collaborative working in this role. You will identify new opportunities to expand studies with anti-depressant response data, leading initiatives to work with external collaborators for data sharing and joint analysis.

At King’s, you will join our dynamic and friendly multi-disciplinary team focused on the genetics of mental health disorders. The SGDP Centre is highly supportive of career development for postdoctoral researchers: you will have the opportunity to develop independence, undertake professional and technical training, and have support for your next career steps, including applications for fellowship funding.

This is a full-time position and you will be offered a fixed-term contract for 2 years.

About you (the candidate):

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

• PhD qualified in statistical/psychiatric/behavioural genetics or allied academic area with strong analysis component
• Excellent R programming and linux/unix skills with use of github
• Experience in analysis of genetic data and genome-wide association studies, including multi-ancestry methods
• Previous analysis of large genetic and clinical data sets
• Excellent attention to detail (e.g. in data management and reporting results)
• Strong interpersonal and written communication skills, with ability to discuss research findings and methods to audiences of different backgrounds
• Experience of writing and publishing papers reporting genetic analyses of mental health or other complex traits
• Previous involvement in collaborative team science
• Active interest in supporting a diverse research environment
• Commitment to open science through reproducible analysis pipelines and github repository
• Previous experience of mental health research

Downloading a copy of our Job Description:

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information on what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

*Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate, and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further information:

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

Interview date/s TBC.

Grade and Salary: £44,355 - £45,497 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance

Job ID: 111586

Close Date: 10-Apr-20

Contact Person: Cathryn Lewis

Contact Details: Cathryn.lewis@kcl.ac.uk