Connectionists: Research Fellow - Causality in Biological Systems (Gatsby Unit)

[Lin, I-Chun]

Closing date: 27 August 2025.

We invite applications for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit funded by the UKRI AI Hub in Generative Models.

Modern “virtual-cell” foundation models hope to one day predict how any combination of drugs or gene edits will affect living cells—but because of the complex interactions that arise in biological systems, this will only be possible if we can design the right experiments to collect data to train them. In this role you will create new statistically efficient causal and interaction models with the aim of elucidating cellular interactions. and develop machine learning methods relevant to the task-domain, including causal and generative models. The successful candidate will work day-to-day with Prof Arthur Gretton (UCL) and Dr Jason Hartford (Manchester) and will deploy successful methods to co-designing new CRISPR screens with Dr Mo Lotfollahi (Wellcome Sanger Institute). The appointment will be on the UCL Grade 7 salary scale.

You must have a strong mathematical and statistical background and a peer-reviewed track record in causal inference, experimental design, generative modelling, and/or related methodologies. Experience with foundation-model training for biological data and/or multimodal generative models and familiarity with high-throughput assay pipelines (CRISPR, imaging, -omics) is highly desirable. You must hold a PhD in a relevant field by the agreed start of the position.

For detailed information on the role and how to apply, please visit UCL Jobs (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/search-ucl-jobs) and search for "B02-09214".

About the Gatsby Unit
Established in 1998 through a generous grant from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the Gatsby Unit has been a pioneering centre for research in theoretical neuroscience and machine learning. The Unit provides a unique multidisciplinary research environment with strong links to the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, the ELLIS Unit at UCL, and other neuroscience and machine learning groups at UCL and beyond.