Postdoctoral fellowship in statistical and population genomics From correlations to explanations: towards a new European prehistory (COREX)

We invite applications for a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Copenhagen, as part of the COREX synergy project. Synergy projects represent the top level of European Research Council funding, with a budget of €10 million over six years. In the project “From correlations to explanations: towards a new European prehistory (COREX)” geneticists and archaeologists from the University College London (led by Mark Thomas and Stephen Shennan) join forces with archaeologists from Gothenburg (led by Kristian Kristiansen and Karl Göran-Sjögren), and geneticists from Copenhagen (led by Kurt Kjær, Eske Willerslev and Fernando Racimo). The project will combine prehistoric human genomic, archaeological, environmental, stable isotope and climate data to better understand the processes that shaped our biological and cultural past from the time of the first farmers to the Iron Age.

The candidate will be advised by Assoc. Prof. Fernando Racimo, whose research group focuses on using ancient and present-day DNA to understand patterns of selection and admixture over time, in combination with archaeological and paleo-environmental data, and to develop methods to infer dynamic population processes while accounting for both spatial and temporal variation.

Objectives
The candidate will be able to work with unprecedentedly large ancient genomic, archaeological and paleo-vegetation datasets from a period spanning the last 10,000 years of West Eurasian history. The focus of the project will be on performing exploratory analyses and developing computational models to connect population genetic processes (population expansions, migrations and admixture), patterns of material culture distribution (i.e. diffusion of technology and art forms), environmental factors (climate, ecozones, subsistence strategy and the presence of pathogens), sedimentary DNA and demographic data (such as population density estimates from radiocarbon date density data). This will be done using a variety of geostatistically-aware models that account for auto-correlations in both space and time.

This will serve as a pioneer example of how to build statistically-supported conceptual bridges between archaeological and genetic inference. Our project will serve to determine what the impact of the movement of people was on the European landscape, simultaneously on multiple scales: continental, regional and local.

The fully funded postdoctoral fellowship will be carried out at the Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, a unique center of research excellence in Denmark, with the aim to understand the evolution of complex traits using ancient DNA. The candidate will have to opportunity to collaborate with leaders in the fields of paleogenomics, sedimentary DNA and archaeology, including Mark Thomas, Stephen Shennan, Kristian Kristiansen, Kurt Kjær, Karl Göran-Sjögren, Eske Willerslev, Ralph Fyfe, Karin Frei and Jesse Woodbridge. The University of Copenhagen is a world-leading institution of higher learning and provides excellent programs in genetics, archaeology, statistics, computer science and mathematics.

Qualifications
The candidate will have a PhD degree or equivalent doctorate, with a background in one or more of the following areas: statistics, data science, evolutionary biology, population genetics, computational biology, bioinformatics and/or mathematics. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a working proficiency in one or more programming languages commonly used in data science (e.g. experience in Python, R, C/C++, Java or Julia) and have experience in the UNIX operating environment.

Salary and terms of employment
The employment as postdoc is a full time and fixed-term position for three years. Starting date 1 March 2022 or after mutual 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). Currently, the monthly salary starts at 35,915 DKK/ approx. 4,829 Euro (October 2021-level). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated. The employer will pay an additional 17.1 % to your pension fund.
Non-Danish and Danish applicants may be eligible for tax reductions, if they hold a PhD degree and have not lived in Denmark the last 10 years.

The position is covered by the “Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at the Universities” of December 11, 2019.

Questions
For further information please contact Associate Professor Fernando Racimo: [email protected]

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: www.ism.ku.dk  (International Staff Mobility).

Application procedure
Your online application must be submitted in English by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. Furthermore your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

Application deadline: 5 November 2021, 23.59pm CET

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.

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

If you consider applying from abroad, you may find useful information on how it is to work in Denmark and at UCPH in this links:

https://ism.ku.dk/

https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB  

https://www.workindenmark.dk/

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation. Appointment will be based on merit alone.
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 organization - with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture - creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.

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.