The Genetic Heritage Group at NYU Abu Dhabi is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to work on a joint project with the Public Health Research Center (PHRC) on the UAE Healthy Future Study: a large cohort consisting of well phenotyped Emirati National adults to study the associations between the microbiome, lifestyle, and biomarkers associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity. There is room to work on and develop additional projects on gut microbiota.

The successful applicant will drive fascinating project on the emerging role of microbiota on human health using a large cohort of UAE population by integrating multi-omics datasets with molecular biomarkers. Primary responsibilities will include integrating microbiome sequencing data with additional datasets by performing data import, merging, and updates following standard quality control procedures as related to data in the PHRC databases, using existing protocols and develop new ones for multi-omics analyses, using standard statistical methods to identify factors associated with the microbiome, data management, laboratory operations, and workflow development, and present results via written and oral presentations at local, regional, and international scientific conferences as well as in scientific papers.

This position requires demonstrated background in microbiome data analysis via published papers. Candidates must be comfortable handling large amounts of diverse datasets (surveys, biochemical assays, metagenomics data, etc.), efficient in data management, have solid computational & statistical background, and familiarity with machine learning approaches. The candidate will work in a multidisciplinary environment consisting of PhD-level scientists, graduate students and undergraduate students from NYUAD as well as international institutions. This position will initially be for two years and may be renewable.

Applicants must have a PhD in Biology, Microbiology, or related field. Excellent experimental and in silico skills relevant to the project (in particular genomics and bioinformatics) are required. Candidates must have first hand experience in microbiome data generation and analysis (metagenomics/metabolomics data analysis is a plus), published microbiome and/or metagenomics paper(s), fluency in statistical programming languages such as R or Python, experience in integrating multiple datasets (metagenomics) and survey questionnaires, working experience in high performance computing environment. Candidates with previous experience in clinical research or biobank environment, demonstrated strong collaboration and organizational skills, strong oral and written communication skills are preferred. Experience in machine learning approaches will be a plus.

The terms of employment are very competitive and include housing and educational subsidies for children. Applications will be accepted immediately and candidates will be considered until the position is filled. To be considered, all applicants must submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, transcript of degree, a one-page summary of research accomplishments and interests, and at least 2 letters of recommendation, all in PDF format.

About NYUAD

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYU's global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.

UAE Nationals are encouraged to apply.