AI​/Biocuration Computational Researcher; Luna Lab, NLM​/NCI); Postdoctoral Fellow

Organization

National Library of Medicine and National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD and surrounding area

The Luna lab is jointly affiliated with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The dual ambitions of the lab are to make biomedical data and information accessible and to advance cancer research to help people live longer, healthier lives. We seek outstanding, highly motivated, and skilled candidates to join our team to explore how researchers interpret large data sets and enable them to use and gain insight from data sets through interactive systems.

This position offers a unique opportunity to push beyond the traditional scope of data extraction and management techniques to address the new challenges of large-scale, heterogeneous data. The group combines expertise in data management, visualization, information retrieval, and network data.

The candidate will work in areas of data integration, data uncertainty, data summarization, to explore data query methods that leverage multimodal vision large language models (vLLMs). Through this work, selected applicants will contribute collaboratively to research in the field of cancer therapeutics and precision medicine that spans both basic and translational science objectives. Successful candidates will develop novel bioinformatic machine learning methodologies in the areas of:

• Multimodal data summarization from pharmacogenomics and clinical notes datasets,
• Structuring complex scientific information from unstructured manuscript data (e.g., supplementary data, experimental protocols, images) and
• Retrieval-augmented generation for LLM-backed agents for information gathering from cancer-related multi-omics datasets.

We are offering full-time postdoctoral fellow positions, available immediately and renewable on a yearly basis. Initial appointments will be for 1 year, with possible extensions up to 5 years. The NIH offers a competitive stipend, a stipend supplement for comprehensive health insurance, and is dedicated to the continued education and career development of all its research staff. These positions are subject to background checks.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The National Institutes of Health is made up of 27 separate institutes and centers that include the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

About the NLM IRP

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) pioneers new ways to make biomedical data and information more accessible; and builds tools for better data management and personal health. NLM’s cutting-edge research and training programs (with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, computational biology, and biomedical informatics and health data standards) help catalyze basic biomedical science, data-driven discovery, and health care delivery.

• PhD in a relevant field, including:
  Bioinformatics, Biomedical Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science, Computer Science, Medical Informatics, or a degree related to Biology with substantial experience in computational and statistical work. Individuals in the final stages of PhD submission will be considered as well as PhD graduates within 5 years of graduation.
• Knowledge of theory and practice of LLM and foundation models, as well as deep learning neural networks
• Strong knowledge and experience in coding (R/Python or similar languages)
• Technical expertise in machine learning and/or mathematical modeling
• An interest in applying computational methods to biological problems
• A demonstrated ability to generate and pursue independent research ideas
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal as evidenced by publications, preprints, and/or conference presentations in…