Department
BSD MED - General Internal Medicine
Job Summary
The Staff Scientist will contribute scientific leadership and hands-on research expertise to the Precision Health Informatics Lab (PHIL), supporting the design, execution, and interpretation of large-scale genomic and phenomic studies. This role will play a key part in advancing biobank-scale research into rare genetic variants and their clinical effects, bridging computational methods development with biological and clinical interpretation.
Responsibilities
- Design and lead analytic strategies for gene-disease discovery studies, including GWAS, PheWAS, and integrative multi-omic approaches.
- Guide the development of computable phenotype definitions for diseases, drug effects, and other conditions, ensuring clinical and biological validity of EHR- and survey-derived phenotypes.
- Interpret findings from genomic and phenomic analyses in the context of existing biomedical knowledge (e.g., OMIM, Human Phenotype Ontology, DrugBank) to prioritize novel gene-disease and gene-function hypotheses.
- Contribute to the scientific direction of studies identifying and characterizing novel genetic diseases and gene effects through clinical investigation of individuals with rare variants.
- Mentor and collaborate with programmers, analysts, and trainees on study design, statistical approaches, and biological interpretation of results.
- Prepare manuscripts, reports, grants, and presentations communicating research findings to scientific and clinical audiences.
- Stay current with emerging methods in statistical genetics, phenomics, and precision medicine to inform lab research directions.
- Serves as a resource for collecting data and performing analysis. Facilitates and promotes a research project by providing scientific or intellectual information.
- Creates first drafts for scientific writing and publications, including protocols and grants.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Minimum requirements include a PhD in related field.
Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Certifications:
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Preferred Qualifications
Education:
- PhD in genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, epidemiology, or related field.
Experience:
- Demonstrated research experience in human genetics, genomic epidemiology, or clinical informatics.
- Strong understanding of statistical genetics methods (GWAS, PheWAS, or related approaches).
- Experience working with EHR-linked biobank data.
- Track record of scientific publication and ability to communicate complex findings clearly.
Preferred Competencies
- Proven track record of scientific publications and research contributions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment.
- Strong manuscript and proposal writing skills.
- Ability to work with people from different backgrounds.
- Strong problem-solving skills.
Application Documents
- Resume/CV (required)
- Cover Letter (required)
The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Research
Role Impact
Individual Contributor
Scheduled Weekly Hours
40
Drug Test Required
No
Health Screen Required
No
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No
Pay Rate Type
Salary
FLSA Status
Exempt
Pay Range
$80,000.00 - $100,000.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.
Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in theBenefits Guidebook.
