Research Associate: Multi-Omics & Microbiome Science

Job Description

Research Associate:
Multi-Omics & Microbiome in Maternal Child Health

Position No. 31318

The Azad Lab () is situated at the University of Manitoba and Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM) in Winnipeg, Canada. Dr. Azad co-Directs the Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre (MILC) and is Deputy Director of the national CHILD Cohort Study. Join our team and study how early-life exposures and experiences shape lifelong health, focusing on infant feeding practices, human milk composition and the infant microbiome.

Together, we apply this research in various contexts and geographic settings to understand the development and prevention of allergies, obesity, malnutrition and growth stunting. Our team is transdisciplinary, with backgrounds in molecular biology, epidemiology, statistics, bioinformatics, nutrition and maternal-child health.

Our team is passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of parents and children. We are committed to innovation and collaboration. If you are interested in improving the lives of others through research, then you may be a great fit for our team.

We are seeking a Research Associate in Multi-Omics and Microbiome Science to join our team. In this role, you will develop and manage projects, collaborate with internal and external partners, analyze and interpret data, disseminate scientific findings to stakeholders and collaborators, and help mentor junior lab members. This full-time position is expected to commence on December 6th or as soon as possible thereafter.

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience.

You will be offered training, mentorship and career development opportunities tailored to your interests. We provide an agile work environment including flexible work schedules, ability to work remotely, extended benefits, family leave, paid summer and winter holidays over and above standard vacation, team building activities, and a home office improvement allowance.

• Develop and execute multi-omic and microbiome research activities in maternal child health projects
• Propose, execute and manage data analyses to address key research questions
• Apply biostatistical methods for multi-omic and microbiome data to identify gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, immune markers, and dietary factors that affect infant health
• Integrate and analyze metagenomic and metabolomic data to identify species, strains, microbial gene products, and metabolites with immunomodulatory function
• Present results to collaborators as well as local, national, and international scientific audiences encompassing diverse fields (clinical, computational, and biological)
• Contribute to manuscript and grant writing
• Help mentor students and trainees

Required Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g. Bioinformatics, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Computational Biology, Microbiology, Genetics or a related field)
• Experience working on complex, novel research problems
• Strong data visualization skills
• Strong coding skills in R (and/or Python), including multi-omics data quality assessments, analysis and visualization
• Ability to handle a variety of tasks, effectively solve problems with numerous and complex variables, and shift priorities rapidly
• Self-directed and able to prioritize effectively to meet deadlines
• Detail-oriented with strong critical thinking, organization and record keeping skills

Desirable Qualifications

• Proficiency in REDCAP, SAS, Python, Excel and Power Point
• Experience with multi-omic and/or microbiome research study design, data analysis and publications
• Familiarity with laboratory analysis of biological samples to generate 'omics data
• Experience with longitudinal data analysis
• Experience developing and writing scholarship applications and research grants
• Background in maternal-child health research
• Ability to be collaborative and work in team-based environments
• Effective communication skills

The closing date for receipt of applications is November 19, 2021 and will continue until filled.

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