Phd Position in computational biology (Zampieri Lab)

22 Feb 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

University of Basel

Research Field

Chemistry » Biochemistry
Biological sciences » Biology
Physics » Biophysics
Biological sciences » Other
Engineering » Other

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Switzerland

Application Deadline

21 Mar 2024 - 22:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

38

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

The Department of Biomedicine is a joint effort between the University of Basel and the University Hospitals Basel. It unites basic and clinical scientists to advance our understanding of health and disease and to develop pioneering therapies benefiting the lives of patients in areas of unmet need. With more than 70 research groups and 900 employees, the Department of Biomedicine is the largest department at the University. We are located in the heart of Basel at 6 different locations. Be part of our future!
 
The Zampieri group offers a PhD research opportunity in the context of systems pharmacology, computational biology and metabolic regulation. This position will be based in the Department of Biomedicine (https://biomedizin.unibas.ch/en/ ) in Basel, one of the world's leading locations for life sciences, home to several companies and institutions.
The mission of the group is to understand fundamental mechanisms regulating short- and long-term metabolic adaptation to genetic and chemical perturbations to find new and unconventional therapeutic strategies, ranging from antibacterial to anticancer drugs. To this end, we develop new ways to combine state-of-the-art technologies in metabolomics with mathematical modeling.
The candidate will have the opportunity to exploit some of the cutting-edge experimental and computational methods, comprising constraint-based and kinetic modeling, statistical analysis of large datasets, high-throughput metabolomics, time-lapse microscopy, to investigate how to pharmacologically interfere with fundamental mechanisms in the regulation of bacterial metabolism. Available resources at the department include a mouse facility, high-end FACS, IT and microscopy facilities, the Life Sciences Training Facility (for gene expression and proteome profiling) and much more.
The candidate is expected to have a strong background and interest in quantitative disciplines, excellent teamwork and communication skills in English. The candidate will have the opportunity to develop the following project with a lot of academic freedom and strong support from senior members in the lab, and at the same time to play an active role in shaping and in creating inspiring research and working environment.
In line with our and Uni Basel values (https://www.unibas.ch/en/Research/Values-Ethics/Diversity.html ), we are committed to sustain and promote an inclusive culture, ensure equal opportunities and value diversity and respect in our working and learning environment.
Project Description In the framework of the NCCR AntiResist (https://www.nccr-antiresist.ch/en/ ), we are looking for a highly motivated doctoral researcher to uncover the role of the central metabolism in mediating antibiotic tolerance. This project will be conducted in collaboration with Prof. Sarah Tschudin Sutter at the University hospital of Basel and Prof. Urs Jenal at the Biozentrum (60% wet lab and 40% computational).

• Developing new strategies to combine high-throughput metabolomics with single cell analysis of metabolic and transcriptional reporters
• Investigating if variations in metabolic activity can act as metabolic mediators of antibiotic tolerance
• Determining the underlying mechanisms that link regulation of respiro-/fermentative metabolism to phenotypic heterogeneity and antibiotic tolerance.
• Testing the relevance of metabolic tolerance in clinical strains
• Support and preparation of scientific reports and journal articles

Essential:

• Master's degree in (Bio)Physics, (Bio)engineering, Biological Sciences, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Systems Biology, Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics/Computational Biology, or related fields.
• Basic experience of designing and running experiments with microbial cultures in the laboratory
• Hands-on experience with key biochemical and molecular biological methods
• Motivation to work in an international research environment
• Experience with and/or motivation to learn systems biology approaches, high-throughput methodologies, analysis of single cells imaging data
• Experience with and motivation to learn programming language (e.g. Matlab, R or Python)
• Good communication skills

Any of the following will be a plus:

• Proficiency in data analysis using Matlab, R or Python
• Interest in mathematical modeling of metabolic and regulatory/signaling network

• You will have access to state-of-the-art research equipment in metabolomics, cell biology, time-lapse microscopy and single cell analysis.
• You will work in a dynamic and highly interdisciplinary team including computer scientists, experimentalists and clinicians.
• You will be involved in cross-disciplinary collaborations and have training opportunities to further develop and grow your scientific interests.
• Access to a large consortium of experts in different disciplines, such chemistry, engineering, clinics, computational biology and (Micro- / Cell- / Immune-)Biology (https://www.nccr-antiresist.ch/en/about-us/organization-structure/principal-investigators ).
• Opportunity to work in close contact with other basic- and clinical-research groups at the Department of Biomedicine and the Biozentrum in Basel
• Support from highly competent, experienced team members and potential to lead projects with a high degree of academic freedom

 
Key References:
Anglada-Girotto, M., Handschin, G., Ortmayr, K. et al. Combining CRISPRi and metabolomics for functional annotation of compound libraries. Nat Chem Biol 18, 482–491 (2022).
Fuentes, D.A.F., Manfredi, P., Jenal, U. et al. Pareto optimality between growth-rate and lag-time couples metabolic noise to phenotypic heterogeneity in Escherichia coli. Nat Commun 12, 3204 (2021).
Øyås O., Borrell S., Trauner A., et al. Model-based integration of genomics and metabolomics reveals SNP functionality in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PNAS 117 (2020)
Campos A. and Zampieri M. Metabolomics-Driven Exploration of the Chemical Drug Space to Predict Combination Antimicrobial Therapies. Molecular Cell 74, 1291-1303 (2020)

Application / Contact

Please use the link to submit the following requested documents: A) a cover letter, B) a complete curriculum vitae C) the PhD application form (D) references from at least two referees.
The PhD Application form consists of the below questions. The candidate should address these question in a word document of max 1 page and attach it to the application.

• Describe your general scientific interests. What are the scientific questions that you are most passionate about?
• Please give the title and a short description of any research project carried out during your studies (diploma thesis, honours project, MSc thesis, etc.). State the rationale and goals of the research, and indicate your own contributions to the results. List publications, if any:
• Describe your interest in my group. What sparked your interest in our research? What projects would you be interested in pursuing within the lab? For which our publications would you like to be a contributing/first author and why? What do you think can be your own contribution to the lab?

Requirements

Research Field

Chemistry

Years of Research Experience

1 - 4

Research Field

Biological sciences

Years of Research Experience

1 - 4

Research Field

Physics

Years of Research Experience

1 - 4

Research Field

Biological sciences

Years of Research Experience

1 - 4

Research Field

Engineering

Years of Research Experience

1 - 4

Additional Information

Website for additional job details

https://academicpositions.com

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

University of Basel

Country

Switzerland

City

Basel

Postal Code

CH-4003

Street

Petersplatz 1

Where to apply

Website

https://academicpositions.com/ad/university-of-basel/2024/phd-position-in-compu…

Contact

City

Basel

Website

https://www.unibas.ch/en.html

Postal Code

CH-4003

STATUS: EXPIRED