Summary:

The Weber Lab in the Center for Biomedical Informatics (CBMI) at Harvard Medical School is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to help model the scientific workforce. The scientific workforce is increasingly relying on teams to solve the most critical intellectual and social problems that confront us today. Team collaborations, a growing trend across all disciplines, yield publications with higher intellectual impact than single researchers; and, the careers of young scientists are influenced by relationships with others in the community. We are developing a systems-based approach to studying scientific workforce dynamics that models the mechanisms of how new collaborations form and how these influence both the effectiveness of teams and the career trajectories of individual scientists.

Responsibilities:

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will be responsible for developing statistical and computational approaches to linking large sources of data about the scientific workforce (e.g., 50 million publications, 4 million patents, 2 million grants) and analyzing the collaboration networks of scientists. There are opportunities to study a wide range of related topics, such as the role of interdisciplinary teams, international collaborations, and diversity (e.g., gender, race) in science. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will gain experience writing scientific papers and presenting at scientific seminars and conferences.

Additional Details:

The Weber Lab is funded by NIH and NSF grants to develop algorithms and open source software for analyzing biomedical "Big Data". We created a social networking website for scientists called Profiles RNS (http://profiles.catalyst.harvard.edu) and contributed to a program for querying clinical data about patients called i2b2 (http://www.i2b2.org). Both of these systems are used in dozens of institutions worldwide.

In addition to this project on the scientific workforce, there is a separate project in the Weber Lab developing probabilistic algorithms for linking patient data across biomedical datasets, such as electronic health records, administrative claims, and genomic data. This project is also seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate. There will be synergies between the two projects since both involve linking and analyzing large datasets.

Requirements:

Candidates must have a PhD or other advance degree in statistics, computer science, biomedical informatics, or a related field. A strong background in statistical modeling is required. Some experience programming or working with databases is needed due to the size of the data, though database programmers within the Weber Lab will be available for help and training.

Candidates should be highly motivated, creative, and interested in learning new skills. They must enjoy solving complex and challenging problems and being part of a multidisciplinary research team. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential.

Preferences:

Experience with R statistical software and/or Microsoft SQL Server is desirable. Experience with social network analysis, natural language processing, or data visualization would also be helpful for the project.

Terms:

The position is available immediately and can be renewed annually.

How to apply:

Email applications including curriculum vitae, summary statement of personal objective and research interests, PDFs of the best two papers, and the names and email addresses of three references to: Griffin M Weber, MD, PhD, weber@hms.harvard.edu

Harvard Medical School is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply.