Postdoctoral Research Associate

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities and is among is the top ten research universities in the nation for federal research expenditures as well as for federally funded social and behavioral sciences research and development.

Here at Carolina, our highly skilled postdocs play a vital role in our research enterprise and towards our overall commitment to research excellence. Across many disciplines, postdocs contribute to the intellectual vitality of the University. They provide innovative ideas and perspectives, foster a stimulating research environment and advance knowledge within their fields. Postdocs are crucial members of our scientific research workforce, contributors to our research outputs and an important reason why Carolina is one of the leading public research institutions in the country.

UNC-Chapel Hill offers postdocs comprehensive medical and vision coverage, paid leave, and benefits and services that support professional development and a healthy work/life balance. Chapel Hill regularly ranks as one of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, a reputation guided by the diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

The School of Data and Information Sciences ( SDIS) was founded in 2026 by joining the School of Information and Library Science (1931) and the School of Data Science and Society (2022). SDIS brings together longstanding excellence in information and library science with leadership in data science, including computational and statistical methods, and societal applications.

Home to a top ranked library and information science program, SDIS is recognized for strong teaching, research and service and is the home to the Carolina Health Informatics Program ( CHIP) and the Center for Information, Technology and Public Life ( CITAP). The School teaches and trains undergraduate and graduate students in data science, health informatics, information science and library science, as well as offers certificates for adult learners.

SDIS conducts research and scholarship across the data and information life cycle, with an emphasis on human-centric, ethical and applied approaches. Committed to data, information and AI literacy for all Tar Heels, SDIS faculty are tackling our communities' most pressing needs and our world's most intractable challenges.

The Zikry Lab at UNC-Chapel Hill is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join our group at the intersection of statistical methodology, machine learning, and biomedical data science. Our research develops rigorous and interpretable methods for high-dimensional biomedical data, with applications spanning cancer genomics, neuroscience, and precision medicine. The postdoctoral fellow will join a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment within the School of Data and Information Sciences, with opportunities to work with researchers across the UNC scientific community in units such as the Computational Medicine Program and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The postdoctoral fellow will play a central role in advancing new statistical and machine learning methodology. Areas of focus include (but are not limited to):
* Clustering and unsupervised learning
* Dimension reduction and manifold learning
* High-dimensional inference and feature selection
* Generative modeling and digital twins
* Reliability and interpretability of ML methods

The postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for teaching at most one class per semester (an existing 100-level data science course with lecture and evaluation material provided). Based on teaching needs, this may be changed to one class per academic year.

Ph.D. (or foreign equivalent) in statistics, mathematics, biostatistics, bioinformatics, computational biology, or a related field of study.

N/A

Experience in statistical modeling and biomedical data analysis is a plus. Evidence of research productivity (publications, presentations, software) is preferred.

N/A

For information on being a postdoc at UNC, please click here - https://research.unc.edu/postdocs/prospective/.

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the University's Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at (919) 962-9982 or send an email to opahr@unc.edu.

Please note: The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.