Postdoctoral Research Fellow - UBC, Kelowna, BC

AI Summary

This Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at UBC's Okanagan Campus in Kelowna, BC, focuses on translational radiation oncology within the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science. The role involves designing experiments to identify cancer biomarkers, analyzing data, and developing integrative models of radiation response. Key duties include ensuring data privacy and regulatory protocols are followed. A Ph.D. in a relevant science field and proficiency in Python, R, and ML libraries are top requirements for this research role.

About the Opportunity

The University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus, in collaboration with the BC Cancer Agency-Kelowna, invites applications for a full-time, three-year Postdoctoral Fellow position within the Analytics in Medical Sciences (AiMS) Institute and the Personalized Cancer Radiotherapy group. This significant research opportunity, situated within the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, focuses on advancing translational radiation oncology. The successful scientist will define, direct, and complete projects aimed at identifying biomarkers of radiation response in clinical or preclinical tissue. This involves meticulous recording and analysis of experimental data, alongside the development of sophisticated integrative models combining genotype and biomarker data. A crucial aspect of this role is facilitating robust data transfer and collaboration, which includes identifying relevant data sources, developing pipelines, and defining secure data transfer, storage, and sharing procedures. Adherence to strict data privacy and regulatory protocols, including the development of specific data sharing protocols between BC Cancer and AiMS, is paramount. This position offers a unique chance to contribute to cutting-edge cancer research at one of Canada's leading universities.

Key Responsibilities and Qualifications

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will be instrumental in designing and executing experiments to pinpoint biomarkers crucial for understanding radiation response, meticulously recording and analyzing all experimental data. They will develop advanced integrative models by combining diverse data types, such as genotype and Raman spectroscopy data. A core responsibility involves establishing and maintaining secure data transfer processes, ensuring all data privacy and regulatory protocols are strictly observed, particularly when sharing sensitive cancer research data between BC Cancer and AiMS. Furthermore, the role includes assisting in the training and supervision of graduate students and research assistants, upholding all safety protocols, and ensuring compliance with ethics and data security requirements. The successful candidate will interpret and communicate complex research results to the team and partners, preparing high-quality presentations, abstracts, and manuscripts. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in medical physics, chemistry, bioinformatics, computational cancer biology/genetics, or a related science field, obtained within the last five years, or an M.D. within ten years. Essential technical skills include proficiency in Python, R, and machine learning libraries like PyTorch or TensorFlow. Desirable experience includes genotype and multi-modal data integration, working with population-level administrative databases, and familiarity with ethics approval protocols. Demonstrated sound judgment in data analysis, excellent communication, and a collaborative spirit are also vital for this faculty-level research position at UBC.