WRAIR - Postdoctoral Fellow in Viral Genomics, Bioinformatics, Machine Learning and Artificial

Job Overview

Postdoctoral–level fellowship in infectious disease research offered by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and administered through Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). The successful candidate will conduct advanced research on respiratory and febrile/vector‑borne pathogens within the Department of Defense (DoD) portfolio.

• Engage in projects focused on viral evolution, high‑throughput sequencing, and computational modeling to advance pathogen genomics and surveillance.
• Investigate population‑level and intra‑host pathogen evolution, including transmission dynamics, resistance, host adaptation, disease severity, immune response, and spread.
• Apply computational approaches to patient metadata and pathogen data, analyzing large‑scale genomic datasets.
• Develop new computational methods and analytical tools with emphasis on machine learning and artificial intelligence.
• Identify signatures of viral adaptation, improve predictive models of evolutionary trends, and integrate multiple data types for enhanced surveillance.
• Gain training in bioinformatics platforms, phylogenetic and phylodynamic modeling, and modern machine learning frameworks.

Candidate must possess a Ph.D. earned within five years of appointment and hold U.S. citizenship.

• Strong background in genomics, bioinformatics, or computational biology.
• Extensive experience with Unix/Linux environments for large‑scale genomic data analysis.
• Proficiency in programming languages commonly used in bioinformatics (Python, R).
• Familiarity with high‑performance computing (HPC) systems and parallelized workflows.
• Demonstrated use of phylogenetic and phylodynamic methods on viral sequence data.
• Experience with machine learning or AI methods applied to genomics or infectious disease data.
• Proficiency in next‑generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis, including QC, assembly, alignment, and variant detection.
• Independent postdoctoral research experience with a record of publications or presentations.
• Effective communication skills for interdisciplinary collaboration.

• Annual stipend ranging from $70,000 to $80,000.
• Health insurance supplement (participants may purchase coverage through ORISE).
• Relocation allowance.
• Training and travel allowance.

Silver Spring, Maryland. Appointment is available immediately; start date will be determined upon selection.

Twelve‑month research appointment, with potential renewal for additional periods depending on funding and project assignment.

Point of contact:
Brittany. Reference code: MRDC‑WRAIR‑2025‑0011.