The Center for Biotechnology in Abu Dhabi, led by Dr. Antonello Maruotti and Dr. Andreas Bender, is seeking an outstanding Postdoctoral Research Fellow to develop new computational, machine learning, and AI methods for the integration and analysis of large-scale health data. The Fellow will design data analysis strategies, implement algorithms, deploy reproducible computational tools, and help build a structured community resource supporting evidence-based public health decision-making across the UAE and beyond.
About This Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
Principal Investigators: Dr. Antonello Maruotti and Dr. Andreas Bender — Center for Biotechnology, Abu Dhabi
Research Theme: Computational, machine learning, and AI methods for large-scale health data integration and analysis
Community Impact: Building a curated public data and analysis pipeline resource supporting UAE public health decision-making
Eligibility: PhD in life sciences or computational discipline plus 3+ years postdoctoral experience in drug discovery or biotechnology
Why This Postdoctoral Fellowship Stands Out
Cutting-Edge AI Research: Develop state-of-the-art computational and ML methods for large-scale population health datasets
Drug Discovery Scope: Generative models, virtual screening, docking, co-folding, GSEA, pathway analysis, and bioinformatics
Community Resource Building: Design and deploy structured data access and reproducible analysis pipelines for the research community
Publication & Conference Exposure: Actively contribute to manuscript preparation and present at international scientific conferences
Research Overview
This Postdoctoral Research Fellow develops new computational, machine learning, and statistical methods for integrating and analysing large-scale health data, designs data analysis strategies and implements algorithms, deploys reproducible computational tools for population health and drug discovery research, builds a structured community data resource with curated analysis pipelines, collaborates closely with cross-disciplinary colleagues, contributes to manuscripts and scientific conference presentations, assists in peer and student mentorship, and shares expertise and guidance with group members throughout the research programme.
Why This Role Matters: As Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Abu Dhabi, you work at the frontier of computational AI and machine learning applied to drug discovery and population health — developing methods that directly inform public health decision-making in the UAE, building a community data resource with real long-term research impact, collaborating with world-class principal investigators across computational biology and AI, and establishing an international research record through high-impact publications, patents, and conference presentations.
Key Research Responsibilities
Computational Method & Algorithm Development
- Develop new computational, machine learning, and statistical analysis methods for integrating and analysing large-scale health and drug discovery data
- Write algorithms and deploy computational tools for the exploration of very large datasets from population health studies
- Apply current state-of-the-art AI and ML technologies to bioinformatics and health data research challenges
Drug Discovery & Bioinformatics Methods
- Apply strong background in computer-aided drug design — structure-based and ligand-based approaches
- Deploy bioinformatics methods including docking, virtual screening, co-folding methods, and generative AI models
- Apply GSEA and pathway analysis methods to large-scale biological and health datasets
Community Resource & Collaboration
- Develop a structured community resource providing access to curated data and reproducible analysis pipelines
- Work closely with colleagues and research core to understand the nature and requirements of generated data
- Actively participate in manuscript preparation for peer-reviewed journal publication
- Present research at national and international scientific conferences
- Assist in peer and student mentorship and provide training and guidance to group members as needed
Qualifications & Requirements
Essential Qualifications
- PhD in Life Sciences or a Computational Discipline — mandatory
- At least 3 years of postdoctoral experience in drug discovery or biotechnology, in academia and/or industry
- Proven experience in drug discovery projects with relevant scientific outputs including publications and patents
- Strong background in computer-aided drug design, bioinformatics, generative models, docking, and virtual screening
- Demonstrated ability to manage research workload and priorities effectively
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
- Strong reasoning, analytical, and problem-solving skills
- Experience contributing to scientific papers — ideally as lead or corresponding author
Personal Qualities
- Commitment to contributing to a collaborative and supportive team culture
- Ability to work effectively within a team on multiple tasks with competing deadlines
About This Research Opportunity — Center for Biotechnology, Abu Dhabi
Join an internationally recognised research group at the Center for Biotechnology in Abu Dhabi, led by Dr. Antonello Maruotti and Dr. Andreas Bender, at the frontier of computational AI and machine learning applied to large-scale health data and drug discovery. This Postdoctoral Fellowship develops next-generation computational and AI methods with real public health impact — building a structured data and analysis resource that supports evidence-based health decision-making across the UAE and the wider scientific community, while advancing an international academic research career through publications, conference presentations, and mentorship.
Career Excellence: Advance drug discovery and public health research through cutting-edge AI and computational methods at Abu Dhabi’s Center for Biotechnology.
Who Should Apply?
- Computational Biologists & Bioinformaticians: With 3+ years postdoc experience in drug discovery or biotechnology
- AI/ML Researchers in Life Sciences: With experience applying machine learning to large-scale health or biological datasets
- Drug Discovery Postdoctoral Researchers: Familiar with virtual screening, docking, generative models, and GSEA methods
- Published Computational Scientists: With peer-reviewed journal publications as lead or corresponding author
- Research Scientists Seeking UAE Academic Roles: Ready to contribute to cutting-edge AI and health data research in Abu Dhabi
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