Lead Research Officer, Translational Neuroscience, IHDP

The Focus of A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP) is research to improve the health and well-being of Singaporeans across the life course.

The Translational Neuroscience programme of the Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP) invites applications for a Lead Research Officer or Scientist position in the area of brain and mental health. IHDP is a leading institution for the Singaporean Health and Human Potential initiative that seeks to promote brain health across the population. As part of the Smart Nation initiative, IHDP and its partners are dedicated to developing research at the interface of mental health, digital technology and data science. IHDP is dedicated to career development for all staff and to providing a stimulating intellectual environment with opportunities for experience and further training in a broad range of disciplines. Moreover, IHDP provides unique research environments for analyses that consider genetic and environmental influences on brain development and function.

The successful candidate will play a key role in gene and environmental research that influence child outcomes. The efforts shall contribute towards the creation of a neurobiological battery focusing on moderators (child expressed polygenetic scores) and mediators (endocrine and neurophysiological activity) associated with susceptibility-related pathways.

Job Responsibilities:

• Develop and apply appropriate approaches for quantifying and correcting for biases in genomics data
• Advancing bioinformatics and statistical analyses related to genetics and environmental influences on child outcomes, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS), whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis, fine-mapping, and rare variant analysis, and polygenic risk score (PRS) creation
• Developing and validating risk prediction models, specifically utilizing PRS to tailor disease screening and prevention strategies, often in a clinical or primary care setting.
• Scripting and automating robust analysis pipelines to query, retrieve and analyse information in the dataset
• Working within interdisciplinary teams of researchers and presenting work in progress, preparing reports, and contributing to manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications and grant application

Job Requirements:

• PhD degree in bioinformatics, statistical genetics, human genetics, computer science or related field, or Master in related fields with relevant experience in genetics or other complex biological.
• Track record of experience and training in biological data, data analyses and data mining on genomic datasets.
• Demonstrate strong understanding of bioinformatics approaches such as genetic associations, polygenic risk scores.
• Strong programming skills in Unix and at least R and/or Python.
• Proficient with statistical analysis and experience in advanced computational methods (e.g., machine learning) would be advantageous.
• Excellent written, communication and organizational skills, with experience working independently and in multi-disciplinary teams.