Postdoctoral Fellow; Fungal and Algal Program

Overview

Berkeley Lab’s (LBNL) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) has an opening for a Postdoctoral Fellow to work on multi‑institutional collaborative projects within the Fungal and Algal Program.

In this role you will focus on the annotation and analysis of genomes from protists and other microbial eukaryotes, integrating multi‑omics data and developing tools to improve genome annotation. The position is headquartered on the Lab’s main site at the Integrative Genomics Building.

• Annotate and analyze genomes of protists and other microbial eukaryotes using JGI workflows and tools.
• Customize, execute, and troubleshoot genome annotation workflows.
• Evaluate input data quality and assess accuracy of gene predictions.
• Integrate genomics and multi‑omics datasets using bioinformatics and computational approaches.
• Analyze and interpret research datasets, drawing meaningful conclusions with appropriate statistical methods.
• Develop and optimize computational pipelines, scripts, and workflows using Python and MySQL in HPC environments.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to support data‑driven biological discovery.
• Publish scientific papers, release datasets to public repositories, and present findings at seminars and conferences.
• Modify gene prediction and filtering algorithms to accommodate changes in assembly quality, multi‑omics data, and organism‑specific needs.
• Conduct comparative and functional analyses to model biological processes, gene networks, and metabolic pathways.
• Contribute to the preparation of grant proposals and supporting materials.

• Recent Ph.D. (within the last 1–2 years) in Life Sciences, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Strong background in bioinformatics, genomics, molecular biology, and data analysis.
• Expertise in applying computational methods and tools to biological research problems.
• Experience with eukaryotic gene prediction and annotation, genome organization, comparative genomics, and multi‑omics analysis.
• Familiarity with major biological databases (Uni Prot, Inter Pro, NCBI) and ability to interpret complex datasets.
• Proficiency in programming (Python), database management (MySQL), and high‑performance computing environments.
• Strong organizational skills and detailed record keeping.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and experience presenting and publishing.
• Demonstrated interpersonal communication skills and ability to conduct independent, data‑driven research and collaborate.

• Experience working with protists and other microbial eukaryotic genomes.
• Experience developing and benchmarking computational methods or models.
• Strong publication record in peer‑reviewed journals.

• Final date to receive applications:
  May 18, 2026. Applications accepted until the posting is removed.
• Appointment type:
  Full‑time, exempt, 2‑year postdoctoral fellowship with possible renewal.
• Salary range: $5,929–$7,108 monthly / $71,148–$85,296 annually.
• Background check required.
• Work modality:
  Hybrid schedule; employee must reside within 150 miles of Berkeley Lab.
• Anticipated start date:
  June 1, 2026.

Berkeley Lab is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or other protected categories, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: A finalist must disclose any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years related to misconduct.