Cures Start Here. At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch’s pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation’s first cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women’s Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. The goal of its Public Health Sciences Division, which is home to the nation’s oldest program devoted to cancer prevention research, is to identify strategies that would ultimately reduce the incidence of and mortality from cancer and other diseases. Careers Start Here.

At Fred Hutch, we believe that the innovation, collaboration, and rigor that result from diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission of eliminating cancer and related diseases. We seek employees who bring different and innovative ways of seeing the world and solving problems. Fred Hutch is in pursuit of becoming an antiracist organization.  We are committed to ensuring that all candidates hired share our commitment to diversity, antiracism, and inclusion.   

A postdoctoral research position in molecular and genetic cancer epidemiology is available at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Fred Hutch provides a challenging academic and supportive multi-disciplinary research environment. We are seeking a recent or prospective doctoral graduate (Ph.D. or equivalent qualification) with a background molecular and genetic cancer epidemiology or related subject areas. This could include, but is not limited to, training in epidemiology, quantitative genetics, statistical genetics, cancer genomics, or a closely related field. Please note that this is NOT a laboratory-based position, and remote work could be possible.

The postdoctoral fellow/research associate will work in a highly collaborative team led by Dr. Ulrike Peters on analyzing large-scale, cutting-edge molecular epidemiological data for colorectal cancer. These include targeted tumor sequencing of 300 genes and candidate oncogenic microbiota in 7,000 well-characterized colorectal cancer cases, including somatic point mutations, copy number alterations, microsatellite instability, and microbial pathogens. Additionally, data include tumor immune characterization in colorectal cancer cases. Furthermore, genome-wide germline genetic data and harmonized environmental/lifestyle risk factor for up to 150,000 colorectal cancer cases and controls. Our team also aims to evaluate the impact of racial and ethnic diversity on colorectal cancer utilizing genetic and molecular epidemiological data.

The postdoctoral candidate will primarily work on integrative tumor analyses, as well as immune-related somatic and germline characteristics associated with colorectal tumors and survival outcomes. The successful applicant will work on multidisciplinary research teams to perform data analyses, develop and/or implement novel statistical methodology, incorporate functional genetic information, and publish research results. The incumbent will be expected to work independently to complete data analysis. In addition, they will participate in the presentation of research, as well as in the writing of publications to disseminate the analyses.

A Ph.D. or equivalent degree is required.  The position requires a highly motivated individual with excellent written and verbal communication skills. Expertise in computational methods for the analysis of complex, high-dimensional data is desirable, as is a thorough knowledge of high dimensional data resources (such as ENCODE and ROADMAP) for functional annotation.