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Closing Date:

06/10/2025

Type of Position:

Researchers

Job Type:

Regular No

Institution Name:

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has a unique combination of education, research, and clinical programs that encourages and supports teamwork and diversity. We champion being a collaborative health care organization, focused on improving patient care and the lives of Arkansans.

UAMS offers amazing benefits and perks (available for benefits eligible positions only):

• Health: Medical, Dental and Vision plans available for qualifying staff and family
• Holiday, Vacation and Sick Leave
• Education discount for staff and dependents (undergraduate only)
• Retirement: Up to 10% matched contribution from UAMS
• Basic Life Insurance up to $50,000
• Career Training and Educational Opportunities
• Merchant Discounts
• Concierge prescription delivery on the main campus when using UAMS pharmacy

Below you will find the details for the position including any supplementary documentation and questions you should review before applying for the opening. To apply for the position, please click the Apply link/button.

The University of Arkansas is an equal opportunity institution. The University does not discriminate in its education programs or activities (including in admission and employment) on the basis of any category or status protected by law, including age, race, color, national origin, disability, religion, protected veteran status, military service, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, or pregnancy. Questions or concerns about the application of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, may be sent to the University’s Title IX Coordinator and to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Persons must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment.

All application information is subject to public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

For general application assistance or if you have questions about a job posting, please contact Human Resources at askrecruitment@uams.edu .

Department:

COM | Peds Infectious Diseases Research

Department's Website:

Summary of Job Duties:

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology to join our multidisciplinary research team studying the microbiome and host-microbe interactions of relevance to infections occurring during childhood. The successful candidate will lead computational analyses focused on the microbiome and other high-throughput sequencing datasets (e.g., RNASeq) to support translational research focused on respiratory and other infections in children. This individual will be mentored by Dr. Matthew Kelly (Section Chief, Infectious Diseases, Arkansas Children’s Hospital), a faculty member at the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute.

This role offers the opportunity to engage in innovative research at the intersection of genomics, microbial ecology, and child health, while working closely with clinical investigators, laboratory scientists, students, and external collaborators. The ideal candidate will hold a PhD or equivalent experience in a relevant field and demonstrate strong expertise in bioinformatics and/or computational biology. They should be capable of working collaboratively, supervising others, and taking on leadership responsibilities as needed. Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python or Perl, along with experience using shell environments (e.g., Bash) and statistical programming in R, is required. Entirely remote work arrangements (including for applicants residing outside of Arkansas) will be considered for qualified applicants, with regular communication, mentorship, and collaboration via teleconferencing. Periodic travel for scientific meetings or team retreats may be encouraged but is not required.

Current projects in our research group include:
•BRAVE Kids Study: NIH R01-funded project focused on SARS-CoV-2 infections in children
•Host-microbe interactions in a novel SARS-CoV-2 human challenge model: NIH R21 and American Lung Association-funded project that is performing a multi-omic analysis using previously collected samples
•Microbial ecology in the human upper respiratory tract: NIH R21-funded project that is studying microbial interactions of relevance to colonization and infection by bacterial respiratory pathogens
•Evaluation of a nasal probiotic candidate in an infant non-human primate model: pilot study being conducted in collaboration with the California National Primate Research Center
•Whole-genome sequencing for surveillance of hospital-acquired infections
•Other studies in development are focused on routes of community transmission of RSV and use of deep metagenomic sequencing to evaluate for Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage in children

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Biostatistics, Biological Sciences, or a related field. Previous experience with microbiome analysis and/or other high-throughput sequencing data (e.g., RNASeq).

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Proficiency with coding using languages such as R and/or Python (or other translatable analytical software), and familiarity with common microbiome software and pipelines.
• Strong understanding of microbial ecology, host-pathogen interactions, and/or microbial genomics.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively.
• Experience with Linux/Unix environments, cloud computing, and version control systems (e.g., Git) .

Additional Information:

Responsibilities:

• Perform comprehensive analyses of microbiome sequencing data (e.g., 16S rRNA gene, metagenomic, and metatranscriptomic datasets), with a focus on microbial ecology, taxonomic and functional profiling, and host-microbe interactions.
• Apply and develop computational workflows for multi-omic data integration (e.g., microbiome + host transcriptome).
• Collaborate closely with other members of the research team to design analyses, interpret results, and contribute to manuscript preparation, grant applications, and presentations at academic conferences.
• Maintain and optimize reproducible pipelines using tools such as DADA2, Kraken2, HUMAnN, and relevant statistical frameworks (e.g., R, Python).
• Participate in regular project meetings and provide progress updates.
• Contribute to regulatory documentation, data management, and compliance with ethical guidelines for human subjects research.
• Support long-term data infrastructure goals, including data organization, storage, and sharing.
• Assist in mentoring trainees and research staff in computational methods, as needed.
• Other Duties as Assigned

Salary Information:

Commensurate with education and experience

Required Documents to Apply:

Curriculum Vitae

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Please contact askrecruitment@uams.edu for any recruiting related questions.

All application materials must be uploaded to the University of Arkansas System Career Site https://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/UASYS

Please do not send to listed recruitment contact.

Pre-employment Screening Requirements:

Criminal Background Check, Substance Abuse Testing

This position is subject to pre-employment screening (criminal background, drug testing, and/or education verification). A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication alone shall not disqualify an applicant except as provided by law. Any criminal history will be evaluated in relationship to job responsibilities and business necessity. The information obtained in these reports will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

Constant Physical Activity:

Balancing, Climbing, Crawling, Crouching, Feeling, Grasping, Hearing, Kneeling, Lifting, Manipulate items with fingers, including keyboarding, N/A, Pulling, Pushing, Reaching, Repetitive Motion, Sharps, Sitting, Standing, Stooping, Talking, Walking

Frequent Physical Activity:

N/A

Occasional Physical Activity:

N/A

Benefits Eligible:

Yes