Research Fellow, Population and Global Health [LKCMedicine]

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) trains doctors who put patients at the centre of their exemplary care. The School, which offers both undergraduate and graduate programmes, is named after local philanthropist Tan Sri Dato Lee Kong Chian. Established in 2010 by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in partnership with Imperial College London, LKCMedicine aims to be a model for innovative medical education and a centre for transformative research. The School's primary clinical partner is the National Healthcare Group, a leader in public healthcare recognised for the quality of its medical expertise, facilities and teaching. The School is transitioning to an NTU medical school ahead of the 2028 successful conclusion of the NTU-Imperial partnership to set up a Joint Medical School. In August 2024, we welcomed our first intake of the NTU MBBS programme, that has been recently enhanced to include themes like precision medicine and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, with an expanded scope in the medical humanities. Graduates from the five-year undergraduate medical degree programme will have a strong understanding of the scientific basis of medicine, with an emphasis on technology, data science and the humanities.

The PRECISE-SG100K is a landmark population cohort study of 100,000 Singaporeans of diverse ethnic background. The cohort has completed recruitment, and consists of whole genome sequences, comprehensive behavioral, phenotypic, and multi-omic data, and electronic health record linkage. The study represents a state-of-the art platform for researchers to understand the etiology and pathogenesis of diverse disease outcomes in Asia, and to generate insights that have the potential to improve health outcomes for Asian populations globally.

The PRECISE-SG100K study is led by Professor John Chambers, the Toh Kian Chui Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology and Programme Director of the Population and Global Health Research Programme at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine), Nanyang Technological University. Professor Chambers is also the Chief Scientific Officer for the National Precision Medicine Programme. The group research programme aims to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetes and premature cardiovascular disease in Asian populations, and to translate these findings into new approaches for improved prevention and early detection of these major chronic diseases.

We are seeking a Research Fellow to support large-scale genomic data analysis and the generation of community resources for PRECISE-SG100K. The role involves pipeline development, data analysis, and documentation of analytical protocols, working within a leading interdisciplinary team of epidemiologists, geneticists, and computational biologists.

The appointee will play a key role in supporting both Professor Chambers and the team, mainly in, but not limited to, the following roles:

• Developing statistical analysis plans for large-scale genomic data analyses in Asian Populations.

• Building and maintain scripts and orchestrated pipelines.

• Leading and contributing to the writing of research protocols, and publications in peer-reviewed journals.

• Liaising with researchers from collaborating institutes.

• Presenting at international conferences.

• Critically reviewing the work of other members of the research team and mentoring less experienced members as necessary.

• Contributing to data pipeline and administration, which may include data clean, linkage, and quality control

Key Competencies and Requirements:

• PhD in a relevant area (e.g. epidemiology, biostatistics). Candidates who have successfully defended their thesis or dissertation are welcome, subject to evaluation on a case-by-case basis.

• Expertise in molecular epidemiology (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, etc. )

• Expertise in coding in bash and R/Python

• Experience in creating and maintaining Nextflow pipelines.

• Experiences of analyzing large-scale population data.

• Experiences working with electronic health records (desirable).

• Strong communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills, experience working in a large research group is desirable.

• Fluent in spoken and written English.

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, with a pro-active and motivated mindset.