The Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at the Indiana University School of Medicine invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow to join the Human Evolutionary and Statistical Genetics (HESG) Lab.

The HESG Lab develops statistical and computational methods to understand human population history and the genetic basis of complex diseases. Our research sits at the intersection of population genetics, statistical genetics, and evolutionary disease genetics, with a particular emphasis on leveraging human genetic diversity to improve genetic discovery, fine-mapping, and biological interpretation.

The laboratory is currently supported by an NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and offers an outstanding environment for developing innovative quantitative methods, establishing independent research directions, and collaborating with investigators across Indiana University School of Medicine, the Broad Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Research in the HESG Lab spans three major areas. First, we develop population-genetic methods to reconstruct human population history and understand how migration, admixture, demographic change, and natural selection shape genetic diversity. Second, we develop statistical genetics methods for GWAS, fine-mapping, post-GWAS analysis, and disease-gene discovery. Third, we study evolutionary disease genetics by connecting human evolutionary history, genetic variation, and disease biology. Together, these efforts aim to transform human genetic diversity into a powerful resource for understanding complex disease mechanisms and advancing precision medicine.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

Training and Career Development

The HESG Lab is committed to providing a supportive and intellectually stimulating training environment. Postdoctoral fellows will receive close mentorship in developing independent research directions, writing manuscripts, presenting scientific findings, preparing grant and fellowship applications, mentoring junior trainees, and building a long-term career plan.

The position is well-suited for candidates interested in pursuing independent academic careers, research scientist positions, or leadership roles in human genetics, statistical genetics, computational biology, data science, or industry research.

IU School of Medicine is committed to being a welcoming campus community and we seek candidates whose research, teaching, and community engagement efforts contribute to robust learning and working environments for all students, staff, and faculty. We invite individuals who will join us in our mission to improve health equity and well-being for all throughout the state of Indiana.

The successful candidate will join a newly established and rapidly growing research program with strong institutional and NIH support. The laboratory emphasizes methodological innovation, rigorous quantitative thinking, reproducible research, open science, and collaborative team science. Postdoctoral fellows will have opportunities to shape the scientific direction and culture of the lab while developing independent research programs that address fundamental questions in human genetics, population history, psychiatric genetics, and complex disease biology.

Dr. Yuan’s prior work provides the foundation for the HESG Lab’s current research directions. His statistical genetics work includes the development of SuSiEx, a cross-ancestry fine-mapping framework published in Nature Genetics, as well as contributions to large-scale complex disease genetics studies, including a Crohn’s disease exome sequencing study published in Nature Genetics. His population and evolutionary genetics work includes ArchaicSeeker2, published in Nature Communications, for detecting archaic introgression and reconstructing complex introgression histories. Building on this background, the lab continues to develop methods for reconstructing complex population histories, including MultiWaver, MultiWaverX, HierMultiMix, and the recently published HiMWA framework. Together, these studies reflect the lab’s long-term goal of developing rigorous statistical methods that connect human evolutionary history, genetic diversity, and complex disease biology.

Applicants must have:

Experience in one or more of the following areas is preferred:

Experience in human population genetics, evolutionary genetics, or related quantitative analyses is considered a plus but is not required.

Applicants should submit:

though the Indiana University academic careers portal via this link
https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/33803

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Kai Yuan, PhD

Assistant Professor

Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics

Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

Indiana University School of Medicine

Principal Investigator

Human Evolutionary and Statistical Genetics (HESG) Lab

Computational Methods for Population History and Complex Disease

Email: yuankai@iu.edu