Post Doctoral Scholar - Henn Lab

Salary range: The posted UC salary scales at UC Salary Scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step  Table 23:
Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee, Postdoctoral Scholar-Fellow, Postdoctoral Scholar-Paid Direct, Fiscal Year Table 23

Open date: October 22, 2026

Next review date: Monday, Nov 9, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Sunday, Nov 15, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

The Henn Laboratory is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to advance two integrated research programs: (1) selection-guided GWAS methods applied to underrepresented African populations, leveraging the Northern Cape Tuberculosis Cohort, and (2) inference of adaptive evolution at the HLA/MHC loci in admixed populations. The position involves active collaborations with Brown University and McGill University on the SWIF(r) machine learning toolkit for selection inference.

• Build and maintain QC and variant-calling pipelines for next-generation genomic sequencing data
• Develop population-specific demographic models and encode parameters in stdpopsim format
• Train SWIF(r) per population and selection regime; integrate HLA summary statistics; compute posterior probability distributions
• Develop and validate HLA simulation framework (msprime/SLiM) for directional and balancing selection; release via Git Hub
• Execute selection-guided GWAS for BMI, tuberculosis susceptibility, and skin pigmentation
• Lead peer-reviewed manuscript preparation and conference presentations

• PhD in evolutionary biology, statistical/human genetics, computational biology, or related field
• Experience with population genetic methods and large-scale genomic datasets (WGS, SNP arrays)
• Proficiency in Python and/or R; comfort in Unix/Linux computing environments
• Peer-reviewed publication(s) or manuscripts in preparation

• Familiarity with positive selection statistics (iHS, XP-EHH) or demographic inference tools (msprime, SMC++)
• Experience with HLA nomenclature, or software development for open-source release

• Curriculum Vitae
  - Your most recently updated C.V.

• Cover Letter

• Statement of Research

• Authorization to Release Information Form
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• Statement of Teaching (Optional)

• 2-4 letters of reference required

From dissertation committee member/ or close collaborators.

Davis, CA

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
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