Post-Doc Research Associate (Li)

Department : Genetics - 423501

Posting Open Date : 11 / 06 / 2025

Open Until Filled : Yes

Position Type : Postdoctoral Scholar

Position Title :

Post-Doc Research Associate (Li)

Vacancy ID : PDS004706

Full-time / Part-time :

Full-Time Temporary

Hours per week : 40

FTE : Work Location :

Chapel Hill, NC

Position Location : North Carolina, US

Hiring Range : $50,000 - $65,000

Proposed Start Date :

01 / 05 / 2026

Estimated Duration of Appointment :

12 Months

Be a Tar Heel! :

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities and is among is the top ten research universities in the nation for federal research expenditures as well as for federally funded social and behavioral sciences research and development.Here at Carolina, our highly skilled postdocs play a vital role in our research enterprise and towards our overall commitment to research excellence. Across many disciplines, postdocs contribute to the intellectual vitality of the University. They provide innovative ideas and perspectives, foster a stimulating research environment and advance knowledge within their fields. Postdocs are crucial members of our scientific research workforce, contributors to our research outputs and an important reason why Carolina is one of the leading public research institutions in the country.UNC-Chapel Hill offers postdocs comprehensive medical and vision coverage , paid leave, and benefits and services that support professional development and a healthy work / life balance. Chapel Hill regularly ranks as one of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, a reputation guided by the diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit :

The UNC School of Medicine has a rich tradition of excellence and care. Our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians, and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research. We strive to promote faculty, staff, and learner development in a diverse, respectful environment where our colleagues demonstrate professionalism, enhance learning, and create personal and professional sustainability. We optimize our partnership with the UNC Health System through close collaboration and commitment to service.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to be the nation’s leading public school of medicine. We are ranked 2nd in primary care education among all US schools of medicine and 5th among public peers in NIH research funding. Our Allied Health Department is home to five top-ranked divisions, and we are home to 18 top-ranked clinical and basic science departments in NIH research funding.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research.

Patient Care : We will promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond.

Education : We will prepare tomorrow’s health care professionals and biomedical researchers by facilitating learning within innovative curricula and team-oriented interprofessional education. We will cultivate outstanding teaching and research faculty, and we will recruit outstanding students and trainees from highly diverse backgrounds to create a socially responsible, highly skilled workforce.

Research : We will develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers, and resources. We will provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our University to support outstanding research. We will foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic, and population research.

Position Summary :

The Department of Genetics Li Lab at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) is seeking a Post-Doctoral Research Associate. We strongly welcome ambitious and talented candidates keen on developing statistical methods and computational tools for omics data, for the genetic dissection of complex diseases.

The Post-Doctoral Research Associate will join the Li Statistical Genetics Group at UNC-CH (https : / / yunliweb.its.unc.edu / ). The main projects for this position are the polygenic risk score (PRS) project where we aim to develop new methods to construct PRS that explicitly model local ancestry and natural selection, as well as relevant endophenotypes to better predict clinical endpoints across multiple populations, analysis of xQTLs and multi-omics data including chromatin conformation capture data for recombinant intercross animals from Collaborative Cross lines, and leveraging computational methods to predict the impact of gRNAs in epigenomic editing experiments. As one of the study sites in the NHGRI formed PRIMED consortium and IGVF cconsortium, the candidate has the opportunity to interact with world-renowned experts to develop and apply PRS methods in many populations, as well as evaluate gRNAs and their associated regulatory regions across biological systems. In addition, the candidate can play leadership roles in consortia efforts including PRIMED, IGVF, and TOPMed.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements :

Ph.D. in Biostatistics, Statistics, Quantitative Genetics, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Genetic Epidemiology, and related fields

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience :

Research experience in Biostatistics or Genetics related fields

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience :

The position prefers strong quantitative background skills. Knowledge in biology or genetics is desired but not required. But the position entails strong interest and willingness in learning genomics.

Special Instructions :

For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services click here