Postdoctoral position – Gene Regulation, Single-Cell Genomics, Computational Biology, and Machine Learning

Posted on: 27-04-22

Profile: Postdoctoral position – Gene Regulation, Single-Cell Genomics, Computational Biology, and Machine Learning
Organization: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Gene Regulation, Single-Cell Genomics, Computational Biology, and Machine Learning
A joint recruitment postdoctoral position is available in the laboratories of Dr. Jian Xu at Children’s Research Institute and Dr. Jian Zhou at Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, to study the gene regulation and genomics using computational biology and machine learning. This position leverages two experienced mentors with complementary expertise in wet-lab (cancer genetics and genomics) and dry-lab (machine learning and bioinformatics), providing a unique opportunity for training in a collaborative and
multidisciplinary setting. Dr. Jian Xu’s lab focuses on the intersection of gene regulation with stem cell biology and cancer. We study the
genetic, epigenetic and metabolic programs that control stem cell development, and how these processes go awry in cancer progression. Our laboratory is equipped with cutting-edge genomics and molecular biology platforms,
and has access to many shared facilities including an in-house illumina sequencer, 10xGenomics single-cell technologies, and metabolomics. Since the lab was established in 2014, our team has published many impactful papers, which include:
– Development of a dCas9-based affinity purification approach (‘CAPTURE’) for in situ analysis of chromatin interactions that regulate genomic enhancers (Cell 170:1028, 2017)
– Mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism are regulated by post-transcriptional through mTOR-mediated effects on protein synthesis during erythropoiesis (Nature Cell Biology 19:626, 2017)
– Reported an integrative pipeline to identify pathogenic non-coding variants connecting enhancer dysregulation with nuclear receptor signaling in leukemia (Cancer Discovery 10:724, 2020)
– Discovered that the epigenetic silencing of LINE-1 retrotransposons is a selective dependency of myeloid leukemia (Nature Genetics 2021, in press)
Dr. Jian Zhou’s lab studies computational genomics with machine learning and statistical approaches. Understanding how the genome operates at the sequence level is a primary focus of the lab. We develop computational methods, especially deep learning-based methods, for extracting regulatory programs encoded in the gene sequence, and apply them to study the roles of genetic dysregulation of regulatory genome in human diseases. Our lab has access to state-of-the-art high-performance computing facilities including cutting-edge GPU computing servers. Dr. Jian Zhou has published many influential papers, which include:
– Predicting effects of noncoding variants with deep learning-based sequence model (Nature Methods, 2015)
– Deep learning sequence-based ab initio prediction of variant effects on expression and disease risk (Nature
Genetics, 2018)
– Whole-genome deep learning analysis identifies contribution of noncoding mutations in autism (Nature
Genetics, 2019)

Required Qualification: Candidates must hold a Ph.D. and/or M.D. degree with a strong background in computational biology, gene
regulation, genomics, or a related field. The ideal candidate will exhibit independence, flexibility and creativity with
a record of scientific productivity. Previous experience in cancer genomics, machine learning, single-cell genomics
or hematology-oncology is strongly preferred.

Apply Instructions: Interested individuals should send a CV, a short summary of research statement, and a list of three references to:

Jian Zhou, Ph.D. Jian Xu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in Bioinformatics Associate Professor
Lupe Murchison Foundation Scholar in Medical Research Children’s Research Institute
CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research
UT Southwestern Medical Center Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar
Email: Jian.Zhou@UTSouthwestern.edu and

Jian Xu, Ph.D
Associate Professor
Children’s Research Institute
CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Email: Jian.Xu@UTSouthwestern.edu

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