Research Assistant

Date Posted: 11/05/2025

Req ID: 45877

Faculty/Division: Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Department: Department of Molecular Genetics

Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Position Number:

Description:

About us:

Home to over 40 departments and institutes, the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine lies at the heart of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network and is a global leader in ground-breaking research and education, spanning clinical medicine, basic science and the rehabilitation sciences sectors.

Your opportunity:

The Department of Molecular Genetics holds a leadership position in Canada and internationally as a premier venue for biomedical and life sciences research and education. We have over 100 faculty members. Our dynamic community of over 350 graduate students is engaged in M.Sc. and Ph.D. Program in Molecular Genetics. We offer a professionalM.Sc. in Genetic Counseling as well as M.H.Sc. in Medical Genomics. Furthermore, the department provides a rigorous undergraduate specialist and major in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. Our faculty, fellows, and students are highly acclaimed for pioneering phenomenal advances in some of the most exciting areas of modern science with a profound impact on human health.

The Liu Lab is leading an innovative research project that explores the immense chemical diversity of secondary metabolites produced by actinomycetes to identify new drug candidates and therapeutic targets. As a Research Assistant, you will contribute at the intersection of bioinformatics, machine learning, and natural product drug discovery by applying AI pipelines to predict, prioritize, and validate bioactive compounds. Your work will help accelerate the process from genomic data to lead molecules. Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate within an interdisciplinary team are key to success in this role. 

Your responsibilities will include:

• Compiling and managing multi-omics datasets, including genomic (e.g., biosynthetic gene clusters from actinomycetes) and metabolomic data (e.g., LC-MS/MS), and maintaining related chemoinformatic libraries
• Applying and fine-tuning AI and bioinformatic tools (e.g., antiSMASH, DeepBGC, PRISM) to identify biosynthetic gene clusters and other molecular features relevant to natural product drug discovery
• Validating machine-learning and deep-learning models to predict the chemical structures and bioactivity of secondary metabolites from genomic and spectral data
• Performing chemoinformatic and computational analyses (e.g., ADMET prediction, structural similarity clustering, molecular docking) to prioritize potential lead compounds
• Collaborating with wet-lab biologists and chemists to test and validate computational predictions through in-vitro and in-vivo assays, integrating findings into iterative model refinement
• Interpreting and analyzing experimental results to refine AI models and ensure data accuracy, consistency, and reproducibility across research phases
• Documenting workflows and preparing scientific reports, including contributing to manuscripts and presentations for peer-reviewed publication
• Maintaining organized data records and ensuring compliance with departmental data-management standards and research integrity practices

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or Computational Biology
• Minimum two (2) years of research and data analysis experience in an academic setting
• Demonstrated experience working with machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models
• Demonstrated experience analyzing and writing program scripts to extract, reformat, and analyze data using Python, Java or C++
• Experience updating and maintaining database records
• Experience documenting research workflows and preparing scientific outputs, including reports, manuscripts, and presentations for peer-reviewed publication
• Proficient in key scientific libraries (e.g., Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, PyTorch/TensorFlow)
• Strong understanding of bioinformatic or cheminformatic tools (e.g., BLAST, HMMER, PyMOL)
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a collaborative, interdisciplinary team

Assets (Nonessential):

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or Computational Biology

To be successful in this role you will be:

• Communicator
• Insightful
• Meticulous
• Team player

Please note: 

• This is a one (1) year term position. 

Closing Date: 11/19/2025, 11:59PM ET

Employee Group: USW 

Appointment Type: Grant - Term 

Schedule: Full-Time

Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone:

USW Pay Band $67,916. with an annual step progression to a maximum of $86,855. Pay scale and job class assignment is subject to determination pursuant to the Job Evaluation/Pay Equity Maintenance Protocol. 

Job Category: Research Administration & Teaching

Recruiter: Sana J Mahmood

Lived Experience Statement

Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity deserving groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the posted position.