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Research Specialist

University of Pennsylvania
Carolyn Hoff Lynch Biology Lab - 3rd Floor, United States, United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 7 Jul 2026
💰 $50,000/yr($45,278/yr$50,000/yr)

About the role

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Research Specialist

Job Profile Title

Research Specialist A

Job Description Summary

The research specialist will work in the Mathieson lab in the Department of Biology, which focuses on developing machine learning and graph-based algorithms for genetic data. The specific project involves understanding the unique evolutionary histories of diverse populations, both in humans and other species. The research specialist will help develop a machine learning framework that accurately captures the features of genetic data from any population. Specifically, we will focus on human and mosquito data from a variety of geographic locations. The research specialist will be responsible for making these frameworks and algorithms publicly available and well-documented. They will then use this framework to understand mutation, recombination, and selection. This will give us a better understanding of evolution at the genetic level as well as predictions about future interactions between humans and mosquitoes. Applicants should have experience with machine language tools (TensorFlow or PyTorch required) and strong organizational and communication skills. There will be opportunities to publish research papers, travel to conferences, give scientific talks, and mentor junior lab members. This is a term appointment for one year, ending July 31, 2027.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

  • Conduct computational experiments

  • Algorithm development using genetic data from human and mosquito populations

  • Analysis and visualization of results

  • Help maintain computational resources in the Mathieson lab

  • Communicate work through manuscripts, talks, and posters

  • Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science and 0 to 1 year of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.

  • Major in Computer Science or related field.

  • Experience with machine learning software, such as TensorFlow or PyTorch, is required.

  • Experience creating visualizations or results as well as manuscript writing preferred.

  • Experience with Unix/Linux systems and system administration.

  • Ability to work independently.


​This is a one year term appointment ending July 31, 2027.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Company

University of Pennsylvania

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