Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in neurodevelopmental genetics research

The Genetics and Genome Biology Program at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Research Institute is seeking an enthusiastic postdoctoral researcher to work in close collaboration with research and clinician scientists in analyzing next generation sequencing data of individuals with genetic disorders.

With the direction of principal supervisor Dr. Ryan Yuen, you will work closely with affiliated staff, as well as bioinformaticians at SickKids, to study the genetics of neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders.

Dedicated exclusively to children and their families, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is one of the largest and most respected paediatric healthcare centres in the world. As innovators in child health, we lead and partner to improve the health of children through the integration of healthcare, leading-edge research and education. Our reputation would not have been built – nor could it be maintained – without the skills, knowledge and experience of the extraordinary people who come to work here every day. SickKids is committed to ongoing learning and development, and features a caring and supportive work environment that combines exceptionally high standards of practice.
When you join SickKids, you become part of our community. We share a commitment and determination to fulfill our vision of Healthier Children. A Better World.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to work alongside the world’s best in paediatric healthcare.
SickKids is strongly committed to diversity within its community and welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups and others who may contribute to diversity within our organization.
SickKids is also committed to providing services in both official languages and our preference is to hire employees who are fluent in both English and French whenever possible.

The Yuen lab is developing and implementing new technologies and computational algorithms to perform genome-wide analysis of tandem repeats. Our aims are to genotype tandem repeats on large genomic datasets, as well as determine the role, and characterize the mechanism, of tandem repeat variation. The Yuen lab also performs whole genome sequence analysis to investigate different forms of rare genetic variation in neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, movement disorders, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.

A substantial amount of data, and tools, already exist for these ongoing projects (e.g., Trost et al, 2020 Nature and Mojarad et al, 2022 Mol Psychiatry). The postdoctoral researcher will be able to jump straight into existing projects, and lead genome analyses.

• PhD in a relevant area (e.g., genetics or computational biology).
• Track record of publishing scientific papers in top journals as a lead author.
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written).
• Be able to work independently and meet deadlines.
• Experience in the analysis of next generation sequencing data is preferred.
• Experience in clinical research would be an asset.

We offer

• Initial contract will be for a period of two years, with the possibility of extension.
• We offer a competitive salary based on qualifications and experience.
• In addition, we offer an attractive benefits package, that includes extended health and dental coverage.
• The Research Institute offers many opportunities for career development and additional training as part of the Research Training Centre.