Research assistant Bioinformatics of Next-generation sequencing data of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Department: Family Medicine and Population Health
Regime Full-time

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The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (University of Antwerp) has the following vacancy: a full-time (100%) research assistant in the Department of Family and Population Health in the area of bioinformatics of Next-generation sequencing data of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Project Title: Advancing bioinformatic methods for Next-generation sequencing analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

You will work under the supervision of Prof. Annelies Van Rie in the TORCH (Tuberculosis Omics ResearCH) consortium (https://torch-consortium.com ) at the University of Antwerp in Belgium.

Job / study description:

• You will work in the field of Next-generation sequencing analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (primarily Illumina, possibly Oxford Nanopore Technologies data).
• Your main tasks will be to perform NGS-analyses using the XBS pipeline developed by the TORCH consortium for tuberculosis sequencing data obtained from sputum, early positive cultures, or established cultures. Analyses will include strain identification, drug resistance inference and transmission analysis.
• You will work in close collaboration with other TORCH members and perform your work in coordination with research activities of the TORCH consortium in the TB-Genomics laboratory at Stellenbosch University led by Prof Rob Warren, and the Mycobacteriology Unit at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, led by Prof Bouke De Jong.
• You will contribute to NGS capacity building efforts ongoing in Ethiopia, Peru, and Zambia.
• You will perform some service tasks, both internally at the department and externally.
• Your appointment is at the University of Antwerp and is funded through the FWO Belgium.

Requirements:

• You hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computational science, bioinformatics, or a related field
• You are knowledgeable in bioinformatics, specifically NGS data analysis and quality control.
• A track record of successful research output (publications in peer-reviewed journals) is preferred but not required
• You have experience in programming (Python preferred) and experience with Unix OS
• Experience in PBS, AWS cloud computing, R, Git, NextFlow and Bash will be considered advantageous
• You are a team player, act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation
• You are quality-oriented, conscientious, creative and cooperative
• You have strong communication skills
• You are fluent in academic English (speaking and writing)

We offer

• A full-time appointment as a research assistant for a period of 12 to 24 months.
• An appointment that will start earliest on 1 October 2022 and latest on 1 December 2022.
• Your gross monthly salary is calculated according to the pay scale  for a research assistant in the contract research staff category (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
• A dynamic and stimulating work environment at University of Antwerp Campus Drie Eiken.
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here .

How to apply?

• You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including 15 September 2022 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on the ‘Apply’ button, complete the online application form and be sure to include the following attachments: a motivation letter, a copy of your academic CV.
• A pre-selection will be made from the submitted applications. The (online) interviews of selected candidates will take place in the second half of September
• If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions  or send an email to [email protected]
• For questions about the profile and the description of duties, please contact prof. Annelies Van Rie ([email protected] ).

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award  for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity  and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.