Postdoc in data science, bioinformatics or computational biology in microbiome

Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research

University of Copenhagen

The University of Copenhagen is seeking up to two highly motivated and talented postdoctoral fellows to commence on March 1, 2023, or after agreement at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen.

About Us
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research’s vision is to strengthen interdisciplinary research that transforms our basic understanding of the mechanisms that underlie metabolic health and disease, and to accelerate this knowledge toward new prevention and treatment strategies. We were established in 2010 and in 2017, we moved into new laboratories, offices and meeting rooms in the Maersk Tower www.maersktower.ku.dk

The Center has around 280 employees who work in an international, highly collaborative research environment across a range of biomedical disciplines. You can read more about us here: www.cbmr.ku.dk .

Our Research

The Arumugam Group uses data science to investigate how health and diseases are influenced by our gut microbiome; how the gut microbiome interacts with the host and environmental factors, and how we can therapeutically modulate the gut microbiome to improve health. You can read more about the Arumugam Group here:

Microbiome Systems Biology in the Arumugam Group – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

In the Arumugam Group, we strive for an inclusive and social work environment where support and constructive feedback is offered within the group.

Job Description

We seek a microbiome bioinformatician or data scientist to derive insights from host-associated microbiome data in multiple consortium projects studying human and animal health, including GALAXY/MicrobLiver studying liver fibrosis (https://www.sdu.dk/en/forskning/galaxy ), MICROB-PREDICT studying late stage liver cirrhosis (https://microb-predict.eu/ ) and PIG-PARADIGM to prevent infection in the gut of developing piglets (https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/news/researchers-mobilise-to-combat-antimicrobial-resistance/ ). These consortia generate rich host-microbial multi-omics data to investigate molecular signatures of diseases. Successful candidates will be integrating these multi-omics data derived from microbiome (including metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, viral metagenomics, metabolomics, metaproteomics) and host (genetics, proteomics, circulating metabolomics) in collaboration with international data science partners (e.g., EMBL-Heidelberg; University of California, Davis) and other project partners.

In this position, you will be:

• responsible for developing novel tools to analyze microbiome and multi-omics data, while also incorporating and improving existing state-of-the-art tools.
• expected to participate in and lead existing projects within these consortia and other projects in the Arumugam group; and are highly encouraged to initiate new cutting-edge research projects.
• expected to interact and collaborate with other clinical researchers, veterinarians, biologists, and bioinformaticians in the GALAXY/MicrobLiver, MICROB-PREDICT and PIG-PARADIGM consortia, to enhance and ensure proper interpretation of experimental results.

In addition, you must have excellent communication and organisational skills as you will contribute to collaborative work with colleagues in the Arumugam group and at the Center.

Profile

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following competencies and qualifications:

• PhD in bioinformatics, or in computer science (informatics) with experience in bioinformatics research, or in biology with strong experience in software development
• Academic preparation as well as experience in machine learning and statistical analysis
• Strong programming skills in Python, R or C/C++
• Experience in high performance computing environment using any flavor of UNIX
• Demonstrated capacity for effective teamwork
• Proven track record showing scientific productivity in peer reviewed journals
• Experience in supervising other researchers at different levels
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and oral

The following qualifications are highly preferred, but not required. Candidates who possess any of these qualifications are encouraged to highlight them in the application:

• Experience in applying deep learning to biological problems
• Basic understanding of human disease biology and/or microbiology
• Experience in analyzing metagenomic datasets from host-associated microbiota
• Experience in handling multi-omics data, including metabolomics and proteomics
• Experience in distributed and cloud computing technologies
• Experience with bioinformatics workflow environments such as snakemake

Place of employment

The place of employment is at Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Maersk Tower, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment.

Terms of Employment

The employment as postdoc is a full-time position for 3 years. Starting date is March 1, 2023, or after agreement.

Salary, pension, and terms of employment will be in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated.

Non-Danish and Danish applicants may be eligible for tax reductions, if they hold a PhD degree and have not lived in Denmark for the last 10 years.

Questions

For further information about the position, please contact Associate Professor Mani Arumugam at [email protected] . For questions regarding the recruitment procedure, please contact HR at [email protected] .

The University of Copenhagen International Staff Mobility office offers support and assistance to all international researchers on all issues related to moving to and settling in Denmark. Read more at www.ism.ku.dk .

Application Procedure

Your online application must be submitted in English via the ‘Apply now’ link below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

• Cover letter expressing the motivation and previous research experience of the applicant (max 1 page)
• Curriculum vitae
• Copy of the PhD degree certificate and the Master degree certificate. In case the PhD has not yet been completed, a written statement from the supervisor confirming it will be obtained before March 1, 2023, is acceptable.
• List of publications
• References (name and contact details of at least two references)

Application Deadline: 13 January 2023

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The Further Process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor. Once the assessment work has been completed, each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at www.employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process .

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of March 13, 2012, on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their personal background.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.