Postdoctoral Position: Computational Genomics of Malaria Transmission

Umeå University, Faculty of Science and Technology

Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.

The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of – a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably. In fact, the future is made here.

Are you interested in learning more? Read about Umeå university as a workplace

The Department of Molecular Biology

The department provides a vibrant interfaculty research environment and there is access to a wide range of state-of-the-art imaging, metabolomics, genomics and screening facilities. You will join a research team that is part of the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), which is internationally well-connected through the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Nordic Partnership for Molecular Medicine.

Project description and work tasks

We are building a new research team of experimentalists, analysts and modellers, who will collaborate in an interdisciplinary environment to address important questions of molecular infection medicine and pathogen genomics. We are now looking for an experienced computational biologist to design and analyse genomics experiments aimed at understanding the transmission biology of malaria parasites. You will work collaboratively with the team to design biological experiments generating genome wide datasets, which will range from statistical analysis of genetic screens to single cell RNAseq. Where necessary, you will develop innovative analytical methods. Your work will contribute to the entire analysis workflow from pipelining primary RNAseq data processing and databases to bespoke systems/ pathway/evolutionary level analysis. We are looking for an individual who can both lead on and contribute to publications and present data at international conferences.

The project forms part of a major effort funded by the European Research Council to systematically identify parasite gene functions in malaria transmission. We aim to contribute single cell data to the Malaria Cell Atlas. This position will contribute to these activities, and we anticipate there will be opportunities for the successful candidate to spend time at the Sanger Institute for training and/or collaboration.

The postdoc position is full time for two years and is placed at the Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Sweden. The position is expected to start in November 2019 or as otherwise agreed.

Qualifications

Successful candidates will hold a PhD degree in a computational or natural science, such as biology, informatics, physics, statistics, or will have equivalent experience. To be eligible you should have completed your PhD degree a maximum of three years before the end of the application period, unless special circumstances exist. You must have 3+ years’ experience or formal training in computational biology or bioinformatics and are familiar with genomics. You will have evidence of a strong relevant research output, as evidenced by first authorship on publications presenting ground-breaking new research findings or new informatics tools, or where you had a leading role in analysing a large biological dataset. Evidence of productive work in an interdisciplinary environment would be important, as would be proven experience with large biological datasets, including transcriptomic datasets. You are proficient in several of the following: R, Unix, Perl, Python, Java, Matlab, C, C++, MySQL. As a successful candidate you will demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively with computational experts and non-expert scientists, and you will be asked to provide evidence of your ability to work in a team and of your highly developed problem-solving skills.

Candidates must be fluent in spoken and written English. Because the project will be of collaborative nature, candidates need to be able to work productively also in a team. Excellent communication skills are required for interacting effectively with colleagues and peers, including colleagues from complementary research fields.

Knowledge of genetics and/or cell biology are meritorious as awareness of single cell technologies. The ideal candidate will have a track record in translating analytical requirements into coding designs that provide the agreed function, and will be able to provide examples of well documented and easy to maintain code that provides robust solutions.

Application

The application should include:

A personal cover letter explaining why you are interested in the position, how you can contribute to the project and in which direction you may want to develop it (no more than 2 A4 pages).
A curriculum vitae that documents academic education and past and previous employments.
Your publication list.
A copy of the PhD certificate and other relevant degree certificates.
A copy of doctoral thesis
Names and contact details with e-mail addresses of two or three academic references.
Other relevant documentation you wish to include in support of your application.

The application should be written in English (preferably) or Swedish. You apply through our recruitment system. Log into the system and apply via the button at the bottom of the webpage. The deadline for application is September 30, 2019.

We look forward to your application!

More about us

More information about The Department of Molecular Biology please visit www.umu.se/en/department-of-molecular-biology/. For additional information, visit our lab page (https://billkerlab.org), or contact Oliver Billker (oliver.billker@umu.se).