FELLOWSHIP @ BioHPC

The Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics is launching a Biomedical High-Performance Computing fellowship program. Fellowship candidates are UTSW PhD students or postdocs whose major is an area of biomedical science but who have computational experience and are interested in applying computer science to their current research projects. Each Fellow must commit 20 percent effort over the duration of the fellowship, for which the Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics will provide salary support. Initially, each Fellow will complete a computational training program. Once training is completed, the Fellow will apply this knowledge to develop a software or a software workflow that will be of benefit to their projects and also to the broader UTSW research community.

 

Currently available research areas for Fellows are:

  • Deep Learning
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Genomics
  • Computer Vision
  • Image Processing
  • Scientific Programming Optimization

 

FELLOW ROLE, EXPECTATIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Fellow must possess proficiency in basic computer science skills.

  1. Duration of fellowship depends on scope and complexity of the scientific project(s) planned for execution, and is negotiated by Fellow, Mentor, and BioHPC Director.  
  2. Fellow will complete a BioHPC computational training program, of 6 to 12 months in duration. Content of the training program will be tailored to fit the skill level and scientific projects of each Fellow.
  3. Fellow will adhere to all BioHPC and Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics operational procedures during the fellowship period.
  4. All software and intellectual property developed during the fellowship period will remain the property of UTSW and the BioHPC and may be made available for the broader UTSW research community to use or adapt.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

  1. Initial consultation between candidate, mentor, and a member of the BioHPC to define the scope of the project and its appropriateness for the BioHPC Fellows program. This will include an assessment of the candidate’s previous training in areas required for successful completion of the project, from which a draft training and project plan will emerge.
  2. The candidate submits a proposal including a specific scientific project and timeline with milestones that will serve as the basis for constructive communication throughout the fellowship between BioHPC and the Fellow’s sponsoring mentor.
  3. If necessary, the proposal is iteratively improved upon via dialogue between the candidate and BioHPC staff. The final version of the proposal will be submitted for approval to the BioHPC Director and the BioHPC Steering Committee Chair (Dr. Gaudenz Danuser), who will oversee staff assignments and other resource allocations to the fellowship.
  4. A Fellowship Agreement is executed with signature of Fellow, Sponsoring Mentor and BioHPC Director. Steering Committee confirms the candidate as a Fellow and project work begins.