Exploratory Research Jobs (NOW HIRING)

About Ancestry:

When you join Ancestry, you join a human-centered company where every person’s story is important. Ancestry®, the global leader in family history, connects everyone with their past so they can discover, preserve, and share their unique family stories. With our unparalleled collection of more than 65 billion records, over 3.5 million subscribers, and over 27 million people in our growing DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives. Over the past 40 years, we’ve built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving, and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families.
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Together, we work every day to foster a work environment that's inclusive as well as diverse, and where our people can be themselves. Every idea and perspective is valued so that our products and services reflect the global and diverse clients we serve. 
Ancestry encourages applications from minorities, women, the disabled, protected veterans and all other qualified applicants. Passionate about dedicating your work to enriching people’s lives? Join the curious.

We are looking for candidates with strong experience in genomic data analysis and enthusiasm in human populations and/or family history. Through regular mentorship from our scientists, you will gain valuable research experience for the next step in your career. You will have the opportunity to apply cutting edge computational and statistical approaches to the largest database of human genome and pedigree data in the world. You will develop methods to help millions of people understand their ancestry, their family, and themselves. Help us make an impact in this exciting field!

Join the DNA Science team as a Co-op and conduct innovative research on the world’s largest genomic and pedigree database to further our knowledge on human populations and family history. This is a part-time, work-study focused position for 6 months intended for active master's and Ph.D. students.

What you will do:

• You will assist in analyzing Ancestry’s massive-scale genomic datasets to help uncover deep insights into population structure, demographic history, and fine-scale genetic relationship inference.

• You will apply and/or develop novel statistical models and computational methods, including Machine Learning and Deep Learning approaches, to solve complex genomics challenges.

• You will engage in exploratory research, learning to navigate complex research while maintaining a focus on identifying next steps and demonstrating progress towards research milestones.

• You will have the opportunity to contribute to the work that will be published in scientific journals and present at conferences.

• You will collaborate with our research team to explore how your work can contribute to the Ancestry DNA product ecosystem and the broader scientific community. 

Who you are:

• Currently enrolled in a Graduate program (Ph.D. preferred, or MS) in Population Genetics, or Genomic Data Science, or Machine Learning with an interest in applying it to genomics.

• Experience in applying computational and statistical methods to genomic datasets. Experience with modern AI methods is a plus.

• Strong programming skills in Python or other languages that support efficient, large-scale data analysis and machine learning.

• A mindset for critical thinking and innovation and the ability to demonstrate progress on exploratory tasks.

• Ability to work up to 50% of your time at Ancestry while successfully balancing your graduate studies.

• Good communication skills and a desire to learn how to present complex genomics and statistical concepts to various audiences. 

Additional Information:

Ancestry is an Equal Opportunity Employer that makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, citizenship, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. In addition, Ancestry will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

All job offers are contingent on a background check screen that complies with applicable law. For candidates who live in San Francisco, CA, pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Ancestry will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Ancestry is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Ancestry via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Ancestry. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Ancestry as a result of the referral or through other means.