Postdoc in Machine Learning / NLP - Campbell Laboratory

Key Skills

Biomedical Imaging, Effective communication skills, Environmental, Large Language Models - LLMs, Machine learning techniques, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Python Programming, PyTorch, SQL, TensorFlow

Job Description

A Brief Overview

The mission of the Campbell Laboratory at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is to ensure that every child with a rare genetic disease is diagnosed as quickly and accurately as possible. Our research goals are to develop computational algorithms to identify children with genetic disease and intervene in the electronic health record to facilitate diagnosis. We hope these approaches can help address inequities in the way genetic care is provided to patients from historically marginalized backgrounds. We are seeking a post-doctoral fellow who will lead projects to collect, standard, and analyze data from the electronic health record and implement state-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) algorithms including large language models (LLMs). The post-doctoral fellow will have the opportunity to work closely with physicians, genetic counselors, and laboratory professionals to improve the care of children.

The post-doctoral fellow will conduct independent scholarly research to address important issues in pediatric genetics. The post-doctoral fellow will work with the lab principal investigator, Dr. Ian Campbell, to plan the project, define the investigative approach and data analysis. The laboratory’s large language models (LLMs) are implemented in Python (PyTorch) using data extracted from electronic health record (Epic) relational databases. Thus, familiarity with Python and basic SQL are required. Previous experience with distributed computing technologies is preferred. The post-doctoral fellow will contribute to reproducible research by committing high quality and well documented code to the enterprise and public GitHub. Other laboratory data analyses are implemented in the R statistical programing language, so basic familiarity with statistical analysis in R is preferred.

The CHOP research environment provides post-doctoral fellows with translational biomedical informatics training in a collaborative academic setting that includes both CHOP and University of Pennsylvania research communities, as well as exposure to several multi-institutional collaborations. Fellowship training will serve to extend, refine and enhance skills necessary for professional and career development in biomedical informatics research.

The Campbell Lab is committed to diversity and strives to create an equitable work environment for everyone. Individuals from historically marginalized backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

What you will do

• Conduct independent scholarly research and develop new methods for analysis of electronic health record data.
• Participate in project planning, monitoring and regulatory compliance.
• Work closely with hospital operations and electronic health record vendor teams to translate models and algorithms into production applications.
• Develop scientific communication skills by authoring peer-reviewed journal articles and presenting at national and international meetings.
• Seek independent funding with the assistance of the PI and contribute to the lab’s application for funding.
• Supervise and mentor junior lab members including high school students, undergraduates and graduate students as well as provide peer mentorship for physician residents and fellows.

Education Qualifications

• Doctorate Required

Preferred Education and Experience

• A terminal degree in biomedical informatics, computer science, genetics, or related fields
• Excellent English communication and interpersonal skills
• At least one journal publication or peer-reviewed conference paper
• Experience in natural language processing (NLP)
• Expertise in Python programming and experience with transformer architecture and associated software (e.g., PyTorch, Tensorflow)
• Experience using electronic health record data
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment
• Highly motivated with a significant interest in independent research 

To carry out its mission, CHOP is committed to supporting the health of our patients, families, workforce, and global community. As a condition of employment, CHOP employees who work in patient care buildings or who have patient facing responsibilities must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive an annual influenza vaccine. Learn more.

Employees may request exemptions for valid religious and medical reasons. Start dates may be delayed until candidates are immunized or exemption requests are reviewed.