Genetic Epidemiologist/Statistical Geneticist

VA Boston Healthcare System

Boston, MA 02130

The VA Boston Healthcare System is a leading healthcare system in New England, serving as a premier referral center and a major recipient of research funding. The informatics Group is dedicated to leveraging data science and clinical data to conduct high-impact research aimed at expanding our understanding of human health and improving healthcare outcomes.

We are seeking a Genetic Epidemiologist/Statistical Geneticist to play a central role in designing and advancing innovative research at the intersection of genomics, clinical data, and population health. In this role, you will conceptualize and design genetic studies, develop analytical strategies, build computational pipelines, and translate complex genomic data into meaningful insights that inform healthcare for patients. You will have access to extensive germ-line genetic data, including full genome sequencing and methylation data, as well as a rich database of tumor sequencing data. This data can all be directly linked back to the phenomic data within the patient’s electronic health records.

Work with one of the largest integrated medical records databases in the United States —containing comprehensive clinical information on more than 22 million patients — and leveraging large-scale genomic and clinical data resources to lead and collaborate on cutting-edge projects that explore the genetic architecture of disease. You will integrate large-scale genomic and clinical data, apply advanced statistical genetics methodologies such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS), polygenic risk modeling, and gene–environment interaction analyses, and help develop new analytical approaches that push the field forward.

This position offers the opportunity to design impactful studies, collaborate with leading scientists across disciplines, and help shape research that has the potential to directly improve patient care and public health for patients.

PRIMARY DUTIES: 

• Plan, design, and execute genetic epidemiology studies to identify genetic factors associated with diseases and health conditions.
• Perform comprehensive statistical analyses, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS), polygenic risk score calculation, and gene-environment interaction analyses.
• Organize, clean, and process large-scale clinical data. Ensure data quality and integrity throughout the project lifecycle.
• Integrate and manage large-scale genomic datasets with clinical and epidemiological data.
• Develop and implement custom analytical pipelines for processing and analyzing genetic and genomic data.
• Work on priorities for multiple concurrent projects, ensuring timely completion of project milestones.
• Work closely with a multidisciplinary team, including data scientists, statisticians, engineers, and clinicians, to develop and execute research projects.
• Prepare detailed reports and presentations of findings for various stakeholders, including research partners, healthcare providers, and policymakers.
• Participate in drafting and writing scientific manuscripts as applicable for project advancement.
• Provide support to team members on genetic epidemiology methodologies and statistical genetic techniques.
• Stay up to date with advancements in genetic epidemiology and statistical genetics methodologies and implement best practices to enhance the quality and efficacy of research.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• MUST be a US Citizen and MUST clear a US government background check
• Resumes must clearly identify employment dates, whether each position was full-time or part-time, and the number of hours worked per week for all positions listed in the work experience section.
• Degree: that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in mathematics and statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics), and 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or biological sciences, medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences including demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international relations, social or cultural anthropology, health sociology, political science, public administration, psychology, etc. Credit toward meeting statistical course requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course content appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in research methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements or business cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data such as tabulating methods or electronic data processing.

– OR –

• Combination of education and experience -- courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience should have included a full range of professional statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.

NOTE: Reference OPM website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/statistics-series-1530/

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated expertise in statistical methods and study design for genetic analyses.
• Proficiency in R and other statistical programming languages (i.e. Python).
• Proficiency in software for genetic and genomic data analysis.
• Experience with SQL/relational databases.
• Experience with Git/Github.
• Experience in GWAS-based causal inference.
• Previous experience with healthcare data and electronic medical records is highly preferred.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills. Ability to convey complex statistical concepts with clarity.
• Experience reading and writing scientific manuscripts.
• Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams and manage multiple collaborative research projects.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to solve complex problems independently.
• Passion for advancing health science through innovative use of data.

NOTE: This posting is for candidate identification only.  Resumes will be reviewed, and a shortlist may be interviewed.  Any final recommendations for hire will be submitted to Human Resources for qualification review.

POINT OF CONTACT FOR POSITION:

Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume/CV, and transcripts, indicating “Genetic Epidemiologist / Statistical Geneticist” to Karlynn.Dulberger@va.gov

VA Boston Healthcare System does not discriminate in employment and follows federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.