Post-Doc Trainee (Raffield Lab)

The Raffield lab in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Department of Genetics is seeking a candidate for Postdoctoral Research Trainee with a background in Human Genetics, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or a related field. The individual will be responsible for large-scale genomic and multi-omic analyses of traits related to cardiometabolic disease and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias across populations.

Our lab has expertise in analysis of large-scale genomic and multi-omic data, including genome-wide association studies and analysis of transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data. The successful candidate will join strong existing collaborative projects of scientists at multiple institutions across the US and globally. The UNC Department of Genetics ranked first in NIH funding among Genetics departments in 2025 and provides a collegial, supportive mentoring environment. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and will be equal to or exceed NIH postdoctoral stipends. Medical insurance and benefits will be in accordance with UNC standard postdoctoral benefits (https://research.unc.edu/postdocs/). In addition to outstanding research training, postdoctoral scholars are encouraged to participate in professional development opportunities offered through BioSTAR and the UNC Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. These programs support leadership development, scientific communication, grant writing, networking, and career exploration.

Postdoctoral trainees will have the opportunity to lead multiple projects and would work with Dr. Raffield to create a multi-year plan to maximize scientific productivity, pursue independent grant funding, and progress towards an independent career. Potential projects include:

Leadership in cross-cohort ‘omics analyses in NHLBI’s Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Initiative.
Analysis of bulk and single cell gene expression QTLs, metabolomics QTLs, and protein QTLs (across multiple platforms) in blood/plasma across populations, including local ancestry differentiated QTLs and variance QTLs, and subsequent colocalization with known cardiometabolic, blood, and dementia related loci
Genetic and epidemiological analysis of inflammation and thrombosis related biomarkers for cardiometabolic disease and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Individual with strong scientific communication skills who is highly motivated by team science and is enthusiastic about pursuing multicenter collaborative projects.

The candidate should have experience analyzing large genomic datasets and/or experience with epidemiological analysis in cohort and biobank studies, particularly for high throughput ’omics datasets (metabolomics, proteomics, etc). Experience working with large datasets on high performance computing clusters or cloud computing environments is a plus.

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

This position is funded by a sponsored postdoctoral training program, and all applicants must be either a US citizen, non-citizen national or permanent resident with evidence of superior academic performance, previous research or clinical experience and publications.

Please attach a CV and cover letter including a brief statement of research interests.

For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services click here