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Seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher or a Research Associate (IMS106-2201)

Laboratory

Laboratory for Large-Scale Biomedical Data Technology
RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences
(Team leader: Takeya Kasukawa)

Research Field

The mission of Laboratory for Large-Scale Biomedical Data Technology is developing technologies for achieving efficient genomics data management. The ongoing activity is R&D of component technologies for systems to manage large-scale genomics data in proper, efficient, and sustainable manners; constructing reference data set to compare various large-scale genomics data; and their application to biomedical studies.
Recently, we started a new “Open Life Science Platform” project to collect and integrate large-scale, multi-scale and multi-modal research data produced in RIKEN centers for life-science, and to achieve to predict and manipulate the states of cells and organisms by apply big data analysis technologies including machine learning to them. This position is for a researcher who is willing to challenge to the new field in the life science.

Job title and Job description

Position available

One opening for a Postdoctoral Researcher or a Research Associate

Job description

The job is performing research and development to improve the reusability of biomedical data including omics data that is obtained in biological and medical research centers in RIKEN, especially in RIKEN Yokohama Campus. To achieve this, he or she will perform research activity about data management and metadata construction to produced omics data by communicating with experimental biologists. He or she also work to establish rules for data formats and metadata to follow up-to-date standards in this field. In addition to this, he or she joins to the “Open Life Science Platform” project, which aims to evolve our current research style by a new life science based on data-driven approaches, and works for the establishment of the platform for open science and performing data integration analyses in life-science by the collaboration with other life-science centers.

The difference in positions is as follows:

Postdoctoral Researcher
Carries out research and other work in accordance with lab’s research themes under the mentorship and training of supervisors.
Research Associate
Carries out the research and so on in accordance with lab’s research themes under the mentorship and training of supervisors.

Qualification

Common to all positions

  • 1)The person who has experiences in informatics or information science, or who has experiences in life science but having strong motivation to research in informatics
  • 2)It is required that the person can smoothly communicate with other collaborators in and out of our laboratory and can cooperate with them

For Postdoctoral Researcher

PhD holder in fields with less than three years postdoctoral experience indicated under [Job description].

For Research Associate

  • 1)Must have a Master's degree in one of the fields indicated in the "Job Description" section or relevant research fields and a strong interest to pursue the research themes.
  • 2)Must have a strong desire to earn a Ph.D. degree and a motivation to advance to a higher position.

Work location

RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences
1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan

RIKEN has implemented a work-from-home system. Employees can work from home in accordance with the prescribed procedures.

Salary and benefits

Postdoctoral Researcher

  • 1.A one-year fixed-term employment contract, renewable based on evaluation, to a maximum of the end of the fiscal year (March 31) in which the employee completes 3 years of employment.
  • 2.RIKEN may adjust the above maximum period of renewability based on a) the employee’s abilities, work load at the time of contract completion, performance and work attitude and b) the continuation of the employee’s center, laboratory or project and RIKEN’s management situation and budget at the time. In principle, employment contracts will not be renewed for individuals older than 65 years.
  • 3.In principle, the Center's operation period will end as of March 31, 2025. If the project is discontinued after March 31, 2025, the period of your contract may be subject to change at the time of its renewal.

Research Associate

  • 1.A one-year fixed-term employment contract, renewable based on evaluation, to a maximum of the end of the fiscal year (March 31) in which the employee completes 7 years of employment.
  • 2.RIKEN may adjust the above maximum period of renewability based on a) the employee’s abilities, workload at the time of contract completion, performance and work attitude and b) the continuation of the employee’s center, laboratory or project and RIKEN’s management situation and budget at the time. In principle, employment contracts will not be renewed for individuals older than 65 years.
  • 3.In principle, the Center's operation period will end as of March 31, 2025. If the project is discontinued after March 31, 2025, the period of your contract may be subject to change at the time of its renewal.

In principle, the first two months of employment is considered a trial period.
Salary will be an annual salary based on experience, ability, and performance, and will consist of a base salary and a variable salary. The variable salary will be determined each fiscal year based on experience, ability, and performance. The monthly base salary and variable salary are subject to change due to amendments to RIKEN regulations. Discretionary work, commuting and housing allowances will be provided. Social insurance will be applied.
The approximate amount of annual salary at the time of employment:

Postdoctoral Researcher
For a candidate who joins RIKEN immediately after finishing their PhD, the annual pay at hire (including the Discretionary Work Allowance) will be approximately 4.3 million yen/year.
Research Associate
For a candidate who joins RIKEN immediately after finishing their master’s, the annual pay at hire (including the Discretionary Work Allowance) will be approximately 3.2 million yen/year.

Mandatory membership in the RIKEN Mutual Benefit Society (RIKEN Kyosaikai).
This position falls under the specialized duties discretionary work system; one working day will be calculated as 7 hours and 30 minutes.

Holidays

Saturdays and Sundays, Japanese national holidays, New Year holidays (Dec.29-Jan.3), and RIKEN Foundation Day (4th Monday in October).
Paid leave includes annual paid leave (up to 20 days depending on the month of employment), special paid leave (childcare, family nursing care, etc.), and work life balance holidays (up to 7 days depending on the month of employment).
There are also additional leave systems such as maternity leave, childcare leave, and family nursing care leave.

Other provisions

Smoking is not permitted on site except in designated smoking areas. Smoking will be entirely prohibited on site from April 2024.
These and other provisions are in accordance with RIKEN regulations.

The Yokohama Campus has an on-site daycare, RIKEN Kids Yokohama. For details, please send an email to the HR at kids-yk-hr [at] ml.riken.jp

RIKEN is actively undertaking initiatives to promote gender equality and diversity, and moving forward with the establishment of a diverse and vibrant research environment. If multiple candidates are found to have the same aptitude following a fair assessment, active efforts will be made to recruit female candidates.

Also, eligible for an exemption from repayment for category 1 scholarship loans provided by the Japan Student Services Organization before fiscal year 2003, and eligible applying for the MEXT Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kakenhi).

Application and required documents

Prepare the documents below as PDF files and follow the instructions [How to Apply] to submit them.
Note: Incomplete application will not be considered.

Documents to submit

  • 1.CV or CV with photograph attached
    • *download and use the RIKEN format CV
    • *indicate the desired position (e.g. Postdoctoral researcher) and the open call ID [IMS 106-2201] in the upper right corner of the CV.
    • *Please fill in your email address.
  • 2.List of publications (articles, reviews and books), presentations, etc. in past 5 years.
  • 3.Brief description of previous research and achievements, and future research plans (within two A4-size pages).
  • 4.Recommendation Letter (1)
    • - The signature (or seal) of the person providing the recommendation is required. In the case of scanned or digital signature or an email letter of recommendation, please be sure to include contact information.
    • - If it is difficult to obtain a recommendation letter from the current supervisor, a recommendation from a third party will be accepted. The letter of recommendation should be addressed to the “Director of the Center for Integrative Medical Sciences.”
  • 5.PhD/Master’s degree diploma
  • 6.List of competitive external funds obtained (e.g., Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [Kakenhi]; indicate whether you are the representative researcher or the collaborator)
  • 7.Consent form for handling personal information based on GDPR
    If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you are required to submit the document, "Consent form for handling personal information based on GDPR" with your signature.

    *You will find detailed information about General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the following website:
    Data protection | European Commission

How to apply

The above documents except the recommendation letters should be converted to PDF and uploaded to the following website after these files are combined into a single ZIP file:

RIKEN/IMS Application Box

The file name of each PDF file: IMS106-2201_Position (e,g, Postdoctoral Researcher) _Applicant’s name_submitted document No.

Notes:
When you upload your application documents by a ZIP file via BOX, please make sure to input your contact email address.

Recommendation letters must be directly submitted from the referees to the following website with the subject line "IMS106-2201_[applicant’s name] ". Please specify the applicant's name, referee's name and contact information in the recommendation letter. Also, the referees need to input own contact email address when they upload their recommendation letters to the below link.

Please request your referees to confirm their recommendation letters are addressed to “Director of the Center for Integrative Medical Sciences” before uploading.

RIKEN/IMS Submission Box

Deadline

Until the position is filled

  • *Note: Application documents will not be returned.
  • *Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted via email after document screening.

Handling of personal data

Submitted documents are strictly protected under the RIKEN Privacy Policy and used only for the purpose of applicant screening and hiring. Personal information will not be disclosed, transferred or loaned to a third party under any circumstances.

Selection process

Only persons who pass the application screening will be interviewed. (face-to-face or remote interview)

Note: RIKEN will not cover interview travel expenses.

Start of Employment

Earliest date possible (negotiable)

Contact Information

For application documents and general questions:

Recruiting staff for RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences
Administrative Division, RIKEN Yokohama Branch
Email: IMS-recruit [at] riken.jp

Any questions about this position and research contents:

RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences
Laboratory for Large-Scale Biomedical Data Technology,
Team Leader: Dr. Takeya Kasukawa
Email: takeya.kasukawa [at] riken.jp

  • *Please sent the questions by Email to either of above
  • *Please write "Open call (IMS106-2201) Laboratory for Large-Scale Biomedical Data Technology, IMS" in the subject line.

Note

  • Updated as of Nov. 4, 2022: "Salary and benefits"
  • Updated as of May. 18, 2023: "Work location", "Salary and benefits" and "How to apply"

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