Postdoctoral Researcher Bioinformatics/Machine Learning

13 Feb 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Utrecht University

Research Field

Medical sciences

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

4 Mar 2024 - 22:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

40.0

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Genomic surveillance of infectious diseases has been a revolutionary public health success and a critical tool in elucidating pathogen transmission, evolution and source tracking. However, exploiting this data to understand the genomic drivers of pathogen success and virulence and using this data predictively remains underdeveloped.

Your job
We have recently received funding to leverage advances in pan-genomics and deep-learning to build predictive models to help understand why certain microbial variants are successful pathogens and what emerging variants to prioritise.

The focus of this research is to be applied to the realms of pandemic preparedness and antimicrobial resistance. Specifically, we aim to build genomic driven classifiers that can identify what genomic changes are predictive for pandemic spread in terms of both the micro-organism and their resistance cargo. There is a critical need to better predict the differential risk that different strain types pose such that proportional interventions that maximise public safety and minimise economic losses are developed.

The project is a collaboration between Utrecht University and national and international partners and you will be a key member of the project team. You will be responsible for:

phylogenetic and phylodynamic and pan-genomic analysis;

design and validation of machine learning models for the prediction of spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Requirements
Specific Requirements

• You have a PhD degree in the field of bioinformatics or computational sciences.
• You have experience in analysis of large microbial genomic datasets and design and validation of machine learning models.
• Metagenomics experience is an advantage.
• You have proficiency with programming languages e.g. Python/R.
• You have a proactive attitude.
• You can work independently but are a team player.
• You can communicate effectively with people with a variety of backgrounds and expertise.
• You are flexible and can adapt easily to different work environments.
• You have a good command of the English language.

Additional Information
Benefits

We offer:

• a position for one year, with an extension for a period of two years upon successful assessment;
• a full-time gross salary between €3,226 and €5,090 depending on skills and experience in scale 10 of the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities (CAO);
• 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the CAO

In addition to the employment conditions from the CAO for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. These include agreements on professional development , leave arrangements, sports and cultural schemes and you get discounts on software and other IT products. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment through the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we encourage you to grow. For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University .

Selection process

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation, via the ‘apply now’ button.

Additional comments

For more information about the position, please contact Dr Tim Dallman at [email protected] .

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/337657/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Universiteit Utrecht

Country

Netherlands

City

Utrecht

Postal Code

3584CM

Street

Yalelaan 2

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/337657/postdoctoral-researcher-bioinformati…

Contact

City

Utrecht

Website

http://www.uu.nl/

Street

Domplein 29

Postal Code

3512 JE

STATUS: EXPIRED