[Statlist] Postdoc position of a Data Analyst/Biostatistician

[Sahar Hosseinian Ehrensberger]

In collaboration with an In vitro diagnostics start-up company in Lausanne, the Chair of Applied Statistics at the EPFL, under the direction of Prof. Morgenthaler, is looking for a data analyst. The position is at the postdoc level and for one year at 100%. The deadline for application is 5 December 2017 and the starting date is January 2018.

The goal of the research project is to develop an algorithm to diagnose accurately the presence of an advanced lesion in the colon of a patient based on gene expressions measured in a blood sample. 

We aim to provide a new generation of test with improved clinical performances.  To reach this goal we aim to define an optimized biomarker panel using whole transcriptome dataset, generated by RNA deep sequencing (RNA-Seq) and to develop a new robust predictive algorithm using a novel data analytic approach.  

The project is broad and will simultaneously address several problems. It is, first, expected to shed light on the information content and the role of the biomarkers. This is expected to lead to the discovery of a new panel of markers, specific to advanced colon lesions. This is the first objective of the project. 

A second aim of the project is the development of an innovative data analytical pipeline of classifiers for a screening test. This pipeline will serve the development of a robust predictive classifier for the detection of advanced lesions in the colon. 

The third aim is the development of a learning tool to integrate future samples for which both blood samples and clinical information are available. Such learning system can be used to continuously improve the algorithm and to adapt it to diverse mixtures of subpopulations. This is a highly innovative approach in the application of machine learning to the development of robust screening tests.

 

Required expertise and skills:

·       PhD degree in statistics, mathematics or life sciences with strong statistical and data analytical skills. 

·       Experience with classification problems and notions of machine learning. 

·       Familiarity with medical statistics/biostatistics/bioinformatics and programming skills. 

·       Knowledge of applied statistical methodologies, data mining, and data visualization techniques including cluster and stratification analysis, multivariate methodologies 

Responsibilities:  

The data analyst engages in the development, interpretation of data analytics pipeline and will be responsible for developing the predictive algorithm. He/she will support the biomarkers identification and the learning system, and will be responsible in summarizing findings and presenting results; gathering and analysing data and reporting to the project manager. 

Administrative information:

Interested candidates for further information or to submit their full application (CV and Motivation letter) can contact 

sahar.hosseinian using novigenix.com <mailto:sahar.hosseinian using novigenix.com> and stephan.morgenthaler using epfl.ch <mailto:stephan.morgenthaler using epfl.ch>
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