Research Assistant I/II in the Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine (Ref.: 535025) (to commence as soon as possible for one year, with the possibility of renewal subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance)
Applicants should possess a Bachelor’s degree or above in Virology, Immunology, Microbiology, Pathogen Biology, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Biostatistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related discipline. They should have a strong interest in research on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and preferably possess experience in one or more of the following areas: systems immunology of infectious diseases, viral genomic evolutionary dynamics, infectious disease transmission dynamics modelling, host viral shedding and immune response, and deep learning-based prediction of antigenicity, genetic variation, and viral evolution. Applicants should be proficient in at least one programming language, such as R, Python, C, or C++, and have good analytical, organizational, and communication skills, together with a good command of written and spoken English. They should be responsible, self-motivated, attentive to detail, and able to work independently as well as collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.
Applicants with experience in one or more of the following areas will be particularly desirable: statistical modelling and Bayesian modelling; pathogen-specific immune dynamics and antigenic analysis; viral genome-based evolutionary analysis; second- and third-generation high-throughput sequencing and workflow development using tools such as Snakemake and Bash; Linux/HPC-based bioinformatics analysis; and machine learning/deep learning model development using frameworks such as PyTorch or Lightning. Candidates with interdisciplinary training in computational biology, biostatistics, data mining, artificial intelligence, or related quantitative fields are highly encouraged to apply. For positions involving experimental work, experience in molecular biology, cell biology, virology, and immunology techniques will be an advantage. Those with higher academic qualifications and more relevant experience may be considered for appointment as Research Assistant I.
The appointee will join a multidisciplinary research team working on infectious disease systems immunology, viral evolution, bioinformatics, transmission dynamics, and AI-enabled modelling. He/She will participate in research activities including, but not limited to, virology- or immunology-related experimental work, viral genome and high-throughput sequencing data analysis, bioinformatics pipeline development, statistical and dynamical modelling of infectious disease transmission, and machine learning/deep learning model development. Opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration will be provided. For enquiries about the duties of the post, please contact Prof. Hin chu at hinchu@hku.hk.
A highly competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience will be offered, in addition to annual leave and medical benefits.
The University only accepts online application for the above post. Applicants should apply online and upload an up-to-date CV, together with relevant supporting documents including academic background, academic transcript, research experience, and representative outputs. Review of applications will start as soon as possible and continue until October 31, 2026, or until the post is filled, whichever is earlier.
