Job Description

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Accept ClosePress Tab to Move to Skip to Content LinkSearch JobsJob Title: Research Fellow (Computational Biologist / CVMD / LH)Posting Start Date: 29/11/2024:Join a cutting-edge research program at the forefront of proteogenomics and artificial intelligence, focused on discovering novel microproteins encoded by the dark proteome. The Ho lab leads pioneering efforts to identify and characterise small Open Reading Frames (smORFs), once thought to be non-coding, but now recognisedas critical regulators of fundamental biological processes. Microproteins represent an exciting frontier in molecular biology, with recent discoveries revealing their crucial roles as master regulators across multiple biological systems. These previously overlooked molecules are essential for orchestrating metabolic regulation and energy homeostasis, modulating inflammatory signalling pathways and immune responses, and influencing cardiac function and disease progression. Their impact extends to core cellular processes, including mitochondrial function, cellular stress responses, and cell-cell communication. Our lab is at the cutting edge of understanding how these small yet powerful regulators shape human health and disease. We focus particularly on unveiling their roles in metabolic disorders and cellular energy metabolism, investigating their involvement in chronic inflammation and inflammatory diseases, and exploring their potential as therapeutic targets in cardiovascular disease. This research sits at the intersection of basic science and translational medicine, with direct implications for improving human health.Innovation and Commercialization:
Beyond academic research, this position offers an exciting opportunity to participate in a commercialisation project with strong potential for spin-off development. The successful candidate will have the chance to contribute to translating our microprotein discoveries into therapeutic applications, collaborating closely with industry partners and innovation experts. This unique aspect of the role provides exposure to both academic research excellence and biotechnology entrepreneurship, with potential involvement in intellectual property development and commercial strategy.As our Computational Biologist, you will:

• Develop and implement innovative computational pipelines integrating ribosome profiling (Ribo-seq), transcriptomics, and metabolomics data
• Apply and enhance existing smORF identification tools while developing novel AI-driven approaches to predict functionally important microproteins
• Lead the computational analysis of multi-omics datasets to prioritize disease-relevant microprotein candidates
• Design prediction models to identify microproteins involved in metabolism, inflammation, and heart disease
• Collaborate with wet-lab scientists to validate computational predictions and refine prediction models
• Contribute to the development of new algorithms for improved microprotein detection and functional annotation
• Participate in commercialization activities and innovation development
• Present findings at international conferences and prepare manuscripts for high-impact publications

Job RequirementsEssential Skills:

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, or related field
• Strong programming skills in Python, R, or similar languages
• Experience with next-generation sequencing data analysis, particularly Ribo-seq
• Proficiency in statistical analysis and machine learning methods
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain computational pipelines
• Strong publication record in computational biology or related fields

Desired Skills:

• Experience with AI/ML applications in genomics or proteomics
• Knowledge of proteogenomics and/or small peptide detection methods
• Familiarity with modern deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow)
• Experience with cloud computing platforms and high-performance computing
• Track record of developing open-source bioinformatics tools

Technical Background:

• Solid understanding of molecular biology and genomics
• Experience with version control systems (Git)
• Proficiency in Unix/Linux environments
• Knowledge of database management and API development

Soft Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities
• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
• Experience mentoring junior researchers or students is a plus

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.Duke-NUS Medical School is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment.

National University of Singapore