Computational Biology, Non-invasive prenatal testing – MSc/PhD positions

The Wilson Pregnancy Lab is located at McMaster University, in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada The Wilson Pregnancy Lab, under the direction of Dr. Samantha Wilson, is an ‘omics research group with an emphasis on genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics. Our goal is to develop non-invasive methods to predict pregnancy complications before they occur, and to understand the cause of placental dysfunction. We work in the fields of genomics, computational biology, and reproduction.

We are seeking 1-2 talented graduate students for May or September entry 2023. We have several projects available related to genomic and epigenomic signatures of cell-free placental DNA and placental dysfunction. These projects use a variety of multi-omic data, mostly sequencing based, with some microarray data.

We are looking for prospective students with a strong background in genetics, with at least basic experience in computational biology. Experience in a unix environment, high performance computing, and scripting in R, Python and/or bash are assets.

To apply to a graduate student position within the Wilson Pregnancy Lab, please email a copy of your CV (PDF format), a cover letter explaining your research interests, contact information for 3 references, and transcripts to wilsos66[at]mcmaster.ca with the subject line “[MSc or PhD] Application: [Your Name]”.

Potential candidates will also need to meet the entrance requirements for either the Biochemistry graduate program or the Medical Science Graduate program.

For more information, visit the Wilson lab website at wilsonpregnancylab.com

Job responsibilities include:

Participation in lab meetings and 1:1 meetings with PI

Data analysis

Writing up work for publication

Scientific communication: written and oral presentations

Requirements set by graduate program

Being an active, collaborative and respectful member of the lab

Interact with multidisciplinary team from programmers, computational biologists, wet-lab biologists, technicians, and clinicians.

Candidate must meet the entry requirements of MSc or PhD program in the Departments of Biochemistry or Medical Sciences at McMaster University.

Strong background in genetics/genomics/epigenomics, at least 1-2 upper year genetics courses

Experience in R, python, or bash

Experience in a unix environment an asset

Experience working with High Performance Computing (HPC) an asset