Flatiron Research Fellow - Biophysical Modeling and Genomics, Center Computational Biology

The Center for Computational Biology (CCB) of the Simons Foundation ’s Flatiron Institute is actively seeking enthusiastic, full-time post-doctoral Flatiron Research Fellows to join its Biophysical Modeling and Genomics groups. The start date is flexible, with the Fellow expected to begin no later than September 2027. Applications will be reviewed beginning in Fall 2026 and considered on a rolling basis until the positions are filled.

This position bridges two complementary research efforts within CCB, offering the opportunity to work at the intersection of AI/ML genomic modeling and mechanistic biophysical modeling. Applicants with strong backgrounds in applied and computational mathematics, biophysics, AI/machine learning, computational biology, computer science/engineering, statistical inference, or related fields are encouraged to apply.

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY: CCB has a twofold mission: to develop the rigorous modeling tools and theory needed for understanding biological processes, and to create computational frameworks that will facilitate the analysis of the large, complex data sets being generated by quantitative experimental technologies. To accomplish this, CCB brings together experts in various biological domains (including genomics, molecular, cellular, and developmental biology) whose approaches are informed by the modern computational tools of applied mathematics, statistical inference, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), biophysics, and computer science.

The goal: to enable CCB to undertake ambitious, long-term research projects that transcend conventional disciplinary boundaries and that lead to a quantitative and predictive understanding of biological phenomena; and to develop high-quality, well-tested, versatile and extensible software across its research areas.

CCB currently comprises more than 50 scientists at career stages from Ph.Ds through senior scientists, as well as visiting scientists and guest researchers, affiliated graduate students and interns. Together, the CCB scientific staff are pioneering an approach to biology in which theory,computation, and experimentation are integrated, from problem conceptualization onwards. This approach enables CCB to tackle not only recognized, fundamental problems in biology that have so far eluded solution, but also, because of the value placed on curiosity-driven research, to find and develop new areas of biological inquiry.

ABOUT THE BIOPHYSICAL MODELING & GENOMICS GROUPS

Led by Michael Shelley, the Biophysical Modeling Group studies the dynamics of complex and active materials, as well as aspects of collective behavior and self-organization in both natural and synthetic systems. With a focus on complex biophysical systems that arise in cell biology, the group’s research areas include the assembly, structure, positioning and transport of cellular organelles such as the spindle, the organization and dynamics of the nucleus, biophysical fluid-structure problems, and related self-organizing active matter systems.

Led by Olga Troyanskaya, the Genomics Group develops AL/ML methods to interpret genomes and distill the immensely complex networks that form the foundation of human biology and disease. Current areas of interest include developing foundation models for genome interpretation; creating methods for multi-omic and spatial data analysis and integration with phenotypic and clinical data; and advancing AI-based frameworks for network modeling and regulatory module detection.

Together, these groups aim to develop integrative, hybrid models that combine deep learning for genome interpretation with mechanistic biophysical representations of its structure, dynamics, and regulation. Their joint…