Postdoctoral Research Fellow Full-time NEW

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

The Uterine Health Research Lab at UBC, led by Dr. Aline Talhouk, is a data-driven research group working at the intersection of uterine health, gynecologic oncology, computational biology, clinical informatics, and artificial intelligence. The lab develops and applies innovative data science and AI approaches to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment decision-making, and patient outcomes, with a growing focus on personalized medicine and AI-assisted clinical decision support.

Our research integrates clinical, molecular, and real-world data with emerging computational approaches, including large language models, predictive modelling, and multi-omics data integration. The lab coordinates and contributes to large-scale national and international research initiatives and works closely with clinicians, computational scientists, and patient partners to translate research findings into clinically meaningful tools.

The research team is also part of BC's Gynecologic Cancer Initiative, a world-leading interdisciplinary team working together to drive innovative research that transforms how we prevent, diagnose, treat, and improve survivorship care for people with gynecologic cancer conditions for a rewarding career.

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to support the development and validation of novel non-invasive biomarkers for endometrial cancer risk assessment and early detection.

The successful candidate will work within a multidisciplinary team integrating molecular biology, genomics, epigenomics, microbiome science, proteomics, and clinical research. The position will focus on the development and evaluation of multi-omics approaches using vaginal and cervicovaginal specimens to improve risk stratification and disease detection.

This is an on-site position located at Vancouver Hospital Campus.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate and advance multi-omics biomarker development projects across multiple collaborating laboratories.
• Support assay development and validation activities involving microbiome profiling, (human) methylation analysis, mutation detection, deep/targeted sequencing-based approaches, and proteomic technologies.
• Contribute to study design, data interpretation, quality control, and experimental troubleshooting.
• Assist with the development and optimization of laboratory and analytical workflows.
• Integrate findings across multiple biological platforms to support biomarker discovery, validation, and translation to clinical application.
• Contribute to grant applications, manuscripts, reports, and presentations, with strong scientific writing skills and attention to reproducibility.
• Collaborate with clinicians, laboratory scientists, trainees, and external partners.

Required Qualifications

· PhD in molecular biology, translational research, genomics, bioinformatics, proteomics, cancer biology, reproductive biology, or a related field.

· Experience with at least one omics technology platform, such as next-generation sequencing, methylation analysis, microbiome profiling, proteomics, transcriptomics, or related approaches.

· Strong understanding of molecular pathology and biomarker development.

· Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

· Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects and work independently.

· Demonstrated commitment to research reproducibility and rigorous scientific practices.

· Excellent written communication skills, including experience assisting with grant writing, manuscripts, and scientific reports.

Preferred Qualifications

· Experience working with clinical specimens.

· Experience integrating multiple data types within translational research projects.

· Familiarity with women's health, reproductive biology, gynecologic cancers, or microbiome research.

· Experience collaborating across multidisciplinary teams.

· Eligibility for post-doctoral funding from MITACS (Elevate) and/or CPRA

The ideal candidate is scientifically rigorous, highly organized, adaptable, and excited to work at the interface of molecular biology, translational medicine, and biomarker development.

Starting salary will be commensurate with experience, in the range of $70,000 – $80,000 per year plus benefits.