Postdoctoral Fellow – Mathematical Immunology and Immunodynamics

The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research, is a world leader in infectious disease research and vaccine development for humans and animals. Located at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, VIDO is home to one of the largest and most advanced containment level 3 facilities in the world. To strengthen the preparedness for emerging infectious diseases we are currently expanding our infrastructure to include containment level 4 capacity, a GMP vaccine manufacturing facility, and a new animal housing facility. Our vision includes having the capacity to study any emerging disease in any animal model embracing a One Health approach to prevent emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in humans and animals.

Position Summary
Dr. Gordon Broderick, Principal Investigator, Mathematical Immunology and Immunodynamics (MII) Group is seeking a highly motivated individual with an interest in the mathematical modelling of biological regulatory network dynamics at the molecular and cellular levels. Research components include network assembly from prior knowledge (text and schema) and available experimental data, large-scale combinatorial optimization for parameter estimation and attractor mapping, as well as multi-scale dynamic simulation, all with an emphasis on massively distributed computing and the design of quantum algorithms. Among the many applications, these simulation models will initially be used to understand immune regulatory programs acquired in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and conferring increased susceptibility to infection, as well as anomalies in immune maturation in neonates and young children leading to ineffective response to childhood vaccines. Ongoing work will also involve the investigation of self-sustaining regulatory programs supporting persistent illness in Long-COVID.

As part of a larger computational and systems biology initiative at VIDO, the group’s research is focused on the development of analytical approaches rooted in information theory, and formal dynamic systems theory, and their use in deciphering the complex regulatory programming that coordinates the joint immune, nervous and endocrine system responses to infection. Large-scale computer simulations of these regulatory dynamics are then used to identify novel vaccine formulations as well as design strategies to broaden response in the general population, better target vulnerable populations and improve outcomes from infection.

VIDO offers a unique transdisciplinary research environment at the intersection of the basic life sciences and physical sciences with the MII Group focused increasingly on the use of quantum algorithms through its membership in the University of Saskatchewan’s Centre for Quantum Topology and Its Applications (quanTA) with privileged access to IBM’s Quantum System One.

Profile
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following competencies and experience:

Essential experience and skills:
•PhD (completed in the past three years) in engineering, mathematics, computer science, applied physics or related discipline.
•Proficiency in numerical optimization techniques and related solvers
•Proficiency in Python programming and related rapid prototyping environments for the design of novel algorithms and their validation using custom code.
•Strong interest in the modeling of network dynamics.

Desirable experience and skills:
•Strong background of first principles differential equation models, with an emphasis on discrete logic formulations.
•Strong background in high-performance distributed computing
•Strong interest in quantum computing
•Background in dynamic systems theory including basic regulatory control principles.