Postdoctoral Scholar Research Position in the Savic Integrative Pharmacology Laboratory.
Dear Colleagues:
The research laboratory of Dr. Rada Savic in the Department of Bioengineering
and Therapeutic Sciences of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
is seeking researchers and scholars of exceptional promise for postdoctoral
fellow positions in interdisciplinary research with expertise in the methods
and theory of statistics, data science, applied mathematics AND pharmacometrics
or related fields (eg pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, quantitative
pharmacology, systemic pharmacology, computational biology). As a part of the
Savic lab, you will develop innovative models that integrate new data and/or
new experiments, implement new mathematical and statistical techniques and
approaches, and contribute to establishing pharmacometric capabilities and
infrastructure (e.g. lead the development of tools for recurrent and consistent
analysis, develop guidance documents and standards of practice). In addition to
these roles, the postdoctoral fellow will have opportunities to teach and
supervise graduate students, write scientific papers, present research findings
at international conferences, and write and submit grant applications.
Background: The Savic Lab is engaged in groundbreaking drug development
projects for infectious diseases including tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria, as
well as pain management and autoimmune disease with a focus on identifying
optimal treatment regimens. We develop and apply disease models, perform
pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluations, build physiology-based
pharmacokinetic models, conduct exposure-response analyses, and utilize
model-based simulations with the ultimate goal to optimize treatment in adult
and pediatric patient populations. While pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic
concepts and advanced quantitative clinical pharmacology principles have been
integrated into the clinical development of compounds across many therapeutic
areas, human dose prediction and early clinical evaluation of the efficacy and
safety of candidate molecules for infectious diseases remains empirical.
Innovative approaches are required to enable effective translation of
nonclinical data, providing insight into the selection of rational combinations
and optimized clinical trial designs.
Pharmacometrics is a discipline that uses mathematical and statistical tools to
quantify drug, disease, and trial information to aid efficient drug development
and regulatory decisions. It designs and applies mathematical models to
describe the relationship between drug exposure (pharmacokinetics) and response
(pharmacodynamics) for both desired and undesired effects and aims to include
in such models, the effects of individual patient characteristics with the
ultimate goal to give the right drug at the right dose to the right patient at
the right time. Dr. Savic’s Pharmacometrics Team has established translational
and clinical drug development expertise across many disease areas and is active
internationally enjoying impactful collaborations and exchange programs with
the most renowned clinical trial networks and modelling groups worldwide.
Required skills: In addition to enthusiasm, motivation and independent
thinking, candidates must have working knowledge of
pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modelling and simulation, including some
advanced statistical principles (nonlinear mixed effects modelling, Bayesian
statistics, clinical trial simulations). Strong programming skills in R, Metlab
or Python and experience in NONMEM are essential. Knowledge of drug
development, high-performance computing, and dynamic modeling are preferred.
Ideal candidates will have a passion about scientific research with the
willingness and ability to learn and integrate knowledge from across different
therapeutic areas. Personal skills such as teamwork, accurate listening,
strategic thinking, along with very good oral and written English language
skills will be critical for the successful candidates.
Post-doctoral research fellow candidates should have completed or obtained a
PhD in a relevant discipline such as statistics, data science, applied
mathematics, pharmacometrics or related fields (eg pharmacokinetics,
pharmacodynamics, quantitative pharmacology, systemic pharmacology,
computational biology), and have published their research in a peer reviewed
journal.
The successful candidates will be co-located with the modeling team in Savic
Laboratory on the Mission Bay campus of UCSF.
Salary is commensurate with experience. E-mail a curriculum vitae, a letter
stating research interests and contact information for three references to:
[email protected] and [email protected]<about:blank>.
UC San Francisco seeks candidates whose experience, teaching, research, or
community service that has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to
diversity and excellence. The University of California is an Equal
Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive
consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or
protected veteran status.
Best regards,
Craig Shaffer
Director, Strategy and Operations
Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine
University of California, San Francisco
E-mail: [email protected]