Ready to join a workforce UNLIKE any other?

At VCU, we take pride in our deep commitment to our postdoctoral community. In 2026, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) named VCU as one of only 12 recipients of its inaugural Institutional Policy Awards, in recognition of our transformative efforts to elevate quality of life and workplace equity for postdocs.

VCU postdocs are Virginia state employees, with benefits mirroring 12-month faculty. We adhere closely to the NPA’s guidelines for best practices in postdoc training. We work closely with our local NPA chapter, the VCU Postdoc Association, to make this a welcoming and productive place to complete your training!

Advertising Summary: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.

Unit: School Of Medicine MBU

Department: Cellular and Genetic Medicine

Department Summary: The Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine is dedicated to unraveling the fundamental biology that supports health and drives disease. Our faculty, trainees and students tackle some of the most pressing challenges in biomedical science, from the molecular and genetic roots of disease to the complexities of whole-body physiology.

Our foundational studies are driving the frontiers of scientific discovery, pushing the boundaries of what we understand about biology, disease and the human body. From our labs in downtown Richmond to research collaborations around the world, our work is generating new knowledge, influencing the direction of biological science and redefining what is possible in biomedical research.

We are proud to be a community of passionate educators and mentors, deeply committed to empowering the next generation of scientists and leaders. With alumni enjoying successful careers across a broad spectrum of industries, our rigorous training programs offer students a transformative education that drives innovation today and creates lasting impact for tomorrow.

Position Summary:

The Postdoctoral Fellow will develop computational methods and software platforms for biomedical and bioinformatics research. The position will focus on one or both of two complementary areas: (1) development, integration, and benchmarking of scalable bioinformatics pipelines for analysis of large-scale genomic, single-cell, spatial, and multi-omics data; and (2) development of AI-enabled and agentic bioinformatics systems that integrate large language models, computational tools, and biological knowledge to automate and improve complex data-analysis workflows.

Depending on the candidate’s expertise and interests, the position may emphasize either advanced bioinformatics pipeline/platform development or AI and agentic systems for biomedical data analysis, with opportunities to work across both areas. Candidates may have backgrounds in computer science, artificial intelligence/machine learning, bioinformatics, computational biology, or related quantitative disciplines. The position provides opportunities to develop new computational methods and software, work with large biomedical datasets, collaborate with interdisciplinary research teams, and disseminate research through publications, presentations, and open-source software.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• AI and Agentic Bioinformatics Development: Develop and evaluate AI/LLM-based approaches for bioinformatics, including agentic systems capable of selecting tools, executing analytical workflows, interpreting results, and supporting reproducible biomedical data analysis.
• Computational Method and Software Development: Design, implement, test, and maintain computational methods, bioinformatics pipelines, and/or AI-enabled systems for biomedical data analysis. Develop reproducible and scalable workflows integrating existing and newly developed computational tools.
• Data Analysis, Evaluation, and Benchmarking: Apply computational methods to genomic, single-cell, spatial, and multi-omics datasets. Systematically benchmark computational tools and AI-enabled workflows for accuracy, robustness, scalability, and reproducibility.
• Research, Collaboration, and Dissemination: Collaborate with computational and biomedical researchers; contribute to manuscripts, presentations, and research proposals; document software and analytical workflows; and participate in dissemination of research findings and software resources.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Data Science, Biostatistics, Biomedical Engineering, or a closely related quantitative field
• Demonstrated programming experience in Python, R, or another relevant programming language
• Experience developing computational methods, software, data-analysis pipelines, machine-learning methods, or bioinformatics workflows
• Ability to conduct independent research and work effectively in an interdisciplinary research environment.
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Evidence of research productivity appropriate to career stage
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong software engineering and/or AI/ML background
• Experience with large language models, AI agents, retrieval-augmented generation, tool-use systems, or automated scientific workflows
• Experience developing reproducible bioinformatics pipelines using workflow or containerization technologies such as Nextflow, Snakemake, Docker, or similar frameworks
• Experience with genomic, transcriptomic, single-cell, spatial, imaging, or multi-omics data
• Experience with high-performance computing, cloud computing, GPUs, or large-scale data processing
• Experience developing research software or open-source computational tools
• Familiarity with benchmarking, software testing, reproducibility, and computational workflow evaluation
• Interest in applying advanced AI and computational methods to biomedical research

Salary Range: Commensurate starting at $63,480

Benefits: All VCU employee types are eligible for a wide array of benefits to support you during your employment at VCU. Consult the benefits website for information on benefits eligibility according to employee type.

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

ORP Eligible: Yes

Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite

This is a restricted position with no set end date; continued employment is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.

Sensitive Position: Yes

Contact Information:

Contact Email: SOMHR@vcuhealth.org