VIPBG - Research Faculty F73620, F73630, F73640, F73650- Dept of Psychiatry-SOM

Mission or Goal of Unit: 

Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and BehavioralGenetics’ (VIPBG’s) mission is to study the etiology of psychiatric, substance use, and major biomedicaldisorders that have a significant behavioral component. Our foci are geneticepidemiology, molecular genetics/genomics, and the development of statisticalmethods and software to analyze genetic data. We aim to understand theinterplay of genetic, environmental and developmental factors in behavioral andmental health, to address public health issues, to educate the next generationof researchers, and to share findings with the scientific community via publicationsand conference presentations.

Chief Purpose of this position: 

The Department of Psychiatry is seekingcandidates for four (4) T&R Faculty positions, at Virginia Institute forPsychiatric and Behavioral Genetics’ (VIPBG). The Faculty member will beresponsible for obtaining grants to support their research, collaborating withother faculty, and growing their research program at the university includingpublications, teaching and service to the scientific community.  

VIPBG is a highly collaborativeinterdisciplinary institute that brings together faculty from a diversity ofbackgrounds with complementary research programs aimed at understanding howgenetic and environmental risk factors contribute to psychiatric and relatedbehavioral outcomes (see www.vipbg.vcu.edu). 

Joint appointments are possible withcomplementary departments. Start-up packages are available, and salary,tenure-eligibility, and rank will be commensurate with experience.

PositionResponsibilities:

 Teaching- There are no set teaching requirements however the candidate is expected to contribute their expertise to relevant courses taught at the Institute and to mentor graduate students and post-docs working in their research program/laboratory.

Research- The faculty member should have a scholarly/research portfolio which complements the existing expertise in the institute with evidence of multi-disciplinary applications. They are expected to be an engaged collaborator to enhance the research program at the Institute.

Service- Faculty member will serve on Departmental, College, and/or University committees as necessary, as well as in a professional capacity in their field, e.g., reviewer, conference organizer etc.

Required Qualifications: 

• MD or PhD or equivalent with training in statistical genetics/genomics, behavioral genetics/genomics, computational genetics/genomics and/or neuroimaging
• Faculty member will be required to have a clear research agenda and a potential for external funding, and potential for scholarship or creative expression to complement and expand existing expertise in the institute
• An interest in areas complementary to current VIPBG expertise, e.g., psychiatric and/or substance use disorder genetics and genomics
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications: 

This posting includes four potential, individualpositions. The candidate(s) will bring expertise in at least one of thefollowing areas:

• Statistical genetics/genomics, including skills in molecular genetics/genomics/epigenomics, population genetics, bioinformatics, multi-ancestry genomics, genetic variant curation, statistical methods development, emerging technologies (e.g., single-cell sequencing, chromatin conformation)
• Behavior genetics/genomics, including skills in twin and family modeling within a structural equation modeling (SEM, such as OpenMx) framework; experience with multivariate modeling, longitudinal/developmental modeling, and the use of both continuous and ordinal data
• Computational genetics/genomics, including skills in clinical informatics, genomic data science, multi-omic analyses, biostatistical methods and analysis, machine learning, artificial intelligence, reproducible pipelines, high performance cloud computing, Python, R, and/or other computational language coding
• Additional expertise in neuroimaging research,including structural MRI, fMRI, and connectivity studies would be of interestbut is not required

Application Process:
To apply, please include a letter of interest and CV

Position will remain open until filled.

Position Type: Teaching & Research Faculty
Full time equivalent: 100
Tenure: Open
Rank: Open
Months: 12
Department:VIPBG

Salary: Commensurate with experience

ORP Eligibility: Yes

Restricted Status: Yes

Contact Information:
Contact Name: Taylor McDonald
Contact Email: Taylor.McDonald@vcuhealth.org
Contact Phone: