Training or employment in Statistical Genetics with Dr. Wijsman

Please note: For trainees at all levels, please note that Dr. Wijsman is now retired and an emeritus professor. She is unlikely to agree to be a sole-mentor at this point. Also, please note that Dr. Wijsman's statistical genetics laboratory is a dry (computational) laboratory. Prospective applicants who want to do (wet) laboratory work or field work should apply elsewhere.

Staff positions with Dr. Wijsman>/P> Dr. wijsman is no longer accepting applications for staff positions.

Prospective Undergraduate Students

Please do not expect a response if you are emailing from outside the US and are looking for a summer internship or a volunteer opportunity! We do not have a mechanism to accept such students.

Prospective Graduate Students

Dr. Wijsman is no longer taking graduate students. UW graduate students who are potentially interested in research work in statistical genetics or genetic epidemiology should contact one of the younger faculty members in the Department of Biostatistics, the Department of Genome Sciences, or the Public Health Genetics program (Click on Interdisciplinary Programs). Dr. Wijsman may still agree to serve on student committees, but only as a non-reader or a non-GFR member.

Students applying from elsewhere should not contact faculty members directly, and MUST apply to individual departments or programs. Only after students have been accepted and have completed the first year of their program (or more, depending on the program), can they then approach individual faculty members as possible dissertation advisors. Please note that the Division of Medical Genetics does not have a PhD graduate program, but does have a postdoctoral program and a MS-level genetic counsellor program.

Prospective Postdoctoral Fellows

Prospective Postdoctoral Fellows should contact Dr. Wijsman directly by email, although it is unlikely, at this point, that Dr. Wijsman would be willing to accept an application, except under a joint mentorship program with another, active faculty member who would serve as the primary mentor. Under any circumstances, applicants will only be considered if they have a source of funding that meets requirements of the University of Washington.

Postdoctoral applicants should have graduate training in one of the following areas: population genetics, quantitative genetics, plant or animal breeding, statistical genetics, theoretical evolutionary biology, biometrics, statistics, biostatistics, mathematics, or computer science. Alternative previous training paths are also possible, but an applicant with a background that does not include substantial training in quantitative methods will not ordinarily be considered.

Finally, although applicants with disabilities will be considered, they should understand in advance that the University of Washington will hold them to exactly the same strict standards as other postdocs. This includes an absolute limit of 5 years of postdoctoral training, across any number of institutions. Consessions, such as extra time to achieve benchmarks or to find a permanent position, are unlikely to be granted. This is an absolute requirement of the postdoctoral union. Therefore, if your disability may create problems for you in meeting this 5-year time frame, I will likely suggest that you apply elsewhere.