[TYPES/announce] Postdoctoral position in Biological Programming Languages, Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK

[Andrew Phillips]

Microsoft Research has available a 2-year postdoctoral position in research and development of biological programming languages. The position will focus on the development of an environment for programming and analysing biological systems, which supports a family of programming languages and analysis methods. These languages are being used in a number of key scientific projects, from building computational devices in DNA, to genetic engineering of living cells, to reprogramming stem cells.

The candidate will be working in an exciting field at the intersection of computer science and biology, and the results of the project could potentially have broad impact both in academia and industry.

The position requires expertise in programming language theory, design and implementation, and involves developing and extending a language for programming DNA molecules (Visual DSD) and for programming genetic devices (Visual GEC). The Visual GEC language in particular underpins work on programming genetic devices being conducted in the molecular biology lab at Microsoft Research Cambridge. The role will involve extending the Visual GEC language for compiling high-level designs to DNA, for specifying multiple alternative design hypotheses, for conversion between different levels of modelling abstraction, and for handling the increased complexity required for engineering of multicellular systems. The role will also involve integrating biological programming languages with laboratory equipment for performing biological experiments, both at Microsoft Research and in the university labs of academic collaborators. The role will also include developing new computational methods and tools to manage and reduce the combinatorial complexity of biological systems. The candidate will be expected to formalise biological programming language extensions using rigorous semantics and to carry out the implementation work in F#. The candidate will have the opportunity to publish the results in leading journals and conferences, working closely with a small team of scientists and software developers.

The candidate must be willing to work in Cambridge, UK, and the contract is for 2 years. The position is available from 31st October 2018, however the start date is flexible.

Application deadline is 24th of September 2018.


Responsibilities
Background: The candidate will be based in the Biological Computation Group at Microsoft Research in Cambridge. Our group is developing theory, methods and software for understanding and programming information processing in biological systems. Our research currently focuses on three main areas: Molecular Programming, Synthetic Biology and Stem Cell Biology. Current projects include designing molecular circuits made of DNA, and programming synthetic biological devices to perform complex functions over time and space. We also aim to understand the computation performed by cells during development, and how the adaptive immune system detects viruses and cancers. We are tackling these questions through the development of computational models and domain-specific computational tools, in close collaboration with leading scientific research groups. The tools we develop are being integrated into a common software environment, which supports simulation and analysis across multiple scales and domains. This environment will serve as the foundation for a biological computation platform. Further information about the group is available at http://research.microsoft.com/biology , including links to our software tools, which are freely available for use by the scientific community.


Qualifications
Required skills:
- Strong applied functional programming skills in f# or other functional language.
- Education: Ph.D. or equivalent in Computer Science.
- In-depth knowledge of programming language theory, with a track record of strong publications.
- Experience in programming language implementation.
- A strong desire to contribute to the scientific community through the development of languages and tools for modelling and simulation of biological systems.

Additional desired skills:

- Knowledge of biological simulation algorithms such as Gillespie's Direct Method and Ordinary Differential Equation methods, or ability to understand research articles on related algorithms for subsequent implementation.
- Familiarity with process calculi, bisimulation algorithms and associated behavioural theories.
- Experience with logic programming and implementing logic inference systems.
- Experience with implementing inference-based type systems.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.

To apply, please visit https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/job/493787/Post-Doc-Researcher-in-Biological-Programming-Languages
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