The Tulane University Biodiversity Research Institute (TUBRI) is a research center of Tulane’s School of Science and Engineering, located on the grounds of the F. Edward Hebert Research Center in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. TUBRI houses the Royal D. Suttkus Fish Collection and specializes in biodiversity discovery (primarily fishes) and biodiversity informatics research. Henry L. Bart, Jr., Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology serves as TUBRI Director and Yasin Bakış is Senior Manager of Biodiversity Informatics and Data Engineering for the center.
A postdoctoral research associate is sought to provide biological expertise and insight to the newly funded, NSF Harnessing the Data Revolution Institute project entitled, Imageomics: A New Frontier of Biological Information Powered by Knowledge-Guided Machine Learning. The project involves using Machine-Learning methods to train neural networks to extract phenotypic trait data from images of fish specimens, aided by a fish anatomy ontology and trees depicting phylogenetic relationships among tested fish species.
The successful candidate will actively participate in fish-related aspects of research of the project under the mentorship of Bart and Bakış.
Analyzing images of fish specimens and corresponding metadata and creating report based on the statistics about the data
Extracting morphological traits from fish specimen images to verify species identity
Designing and following workflows and pipelines for processing images and using extracted morphological traits data in “morphological barcoding” experiments for diagnosing the various taxonomic groups.
Verifying project outputs for scientifically accuracy
Support the coding team by
assisting in software design where biological expertise is needed
making sure the software is properly documented and openly accessible
providing scientific input during the coding process so that outputs are scientifically sound and publishable
Attending related workshops, training programs, and meetings
Keeping abreast of the latest literature and openly sharing finding with project collaborators,
Work collaboratively with Imageomics ML experts to explore deep-learning methods,
Perform scientific analyses based on outputs of the project
Present analysis results at conferences and publish findings at scientific journals.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Prior (proven) experience in at least one of the following fields:
Image Processing, Artificial Intelligence, Genetic Algorithms, Biodiversity Informatics, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Biomedical Informatics, Ecoinformatics or a related field (scientific publications)
Working knowledge of at least three of the following languages (one from each group)
{Java, C, C++, C#}, {Python, PHP, Perl}, {R, Bash, JavaScript}, {ORACLE SQL, MSSQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL}
Working knowledge of Unix based operating systems
Experience in writing grant proposals and scientific publications
Strong problem-solving skills
Required Education and/or Experience
PhD in Biological Sciences, Biodiversity Informatics, Computer Science, Information Sciences, Computational Biology/Bioinformatics, or a related field
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with:
Image Processing
Artificial Intelligence/Neural Networks
Genetic Algorithms
Web-database applications
Experience in parallel computing (GPU)
Working knowledge of version control system (GIT)
Other
Position is open to international candidates
Should be able to travel internationally
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Start date: 1 January 2022
Salary: $58,000
Statement on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
To become a truly great university – defined by breakthrough discovery, world-class scholarship and transformative personal growth and enrichment – Tulane must be an equitable, diverse and inclusive community that welcomes and supports a diverse array of students, faculty and staff. We must foster an environment where each member of our academic family, particularly our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and other underrepresented members, are not only supported but are able to thrive. BIPOC persons and members of other underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.
For additional information about the position, including application instructions, please contact Henry Bart (hbartjr@tulane.edu) or Yasin Bakiş (ybakis@tulane.edu)