Fixed-term position for a doctoral researcher/project researcher or research assistant in...

The University of Turku is a world-class multidisciplinary research university which offers interesting challenges and a unique vantage point to national and international research and education.

The Department of Computing at the University of Turku is searching for a doctoral researcher/project researcher or a research assistant in microbiome bioinformatics starting from 1.1.2023, or later according to a mutual agreement. This fixed-term position ends 28.2.2025. The position is full-time, but part-time work is also possible based on mutual understanding.

 Our group's projects aim to discover associations with health outcomes, gut microbiomes, and antibiotic resistance loads in large population cohorts. We work with microbial ecologists, medical doctors, computer scientists, bioinformaticians, and statisticians. The work includes analysis of human gut microbiomes, statistical analysis of high dimensional datasets, machine learning applications for microbiome studies, and developing bioinformatic pipelines for high-throughput analysis in high-performance computing (HPC) clusters.

The work provides the possibility to develop skills in scientific computing, machine learning, and bioinformatics in an international and multidisciplinary team.

From a strong applicant, we anticipate a drive to develop their independent scientific thinking, good problem-solving skills, adaptability, and motivation to work in a multidisciplinary environment. The position requires experience in coding (R, Python, or equivalent), but we also will consider applicants with a bioscience or ecology background without extensive coding experience. Excellent skills in English (written and spoken), and a master's (for doctoral researcher/project researcher) or bachelor's (for research assistant) degree in microbiology/bioinformatics/data science/mathematics/statistics/computer science or equivalent are required.

We are primarily searching for a doctoral researcher or project researcher. If a suitable person cannot be found, we may also consider a candidate who has more or less completed all coursework for the Master of Science degree in a relevant field and is ready to start the Master's thesis in a topic set by the task. In this case, the job title will be research assistant. The selected candidate must hold an active study right at the University of Turku.

The qualifications for the positions are specified in the Turku University Rules of Procedure https://www.utu.fi/en/university/organisation . A person selected for the post of a doctoral researcher or project researcher must have a higher university degree. The degree must be completed by the end of the application period. If the selected person already has a right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Turku, (s)he must also have an accepted research plan. In addition, when acquiring his or her degree or otherwise, he or she is required to have demonstrated the ability and motivation to undertake postgraduate studies and the capacity to complete a doctoral degree in accordance with the research plan.

The salary is determined in accordance with the university salary system for teaching and research personnel. For a doctoral researcher/project researcher, the salary will be on the job demands chart on levels 2-4, where the task-specific salary component is 2108,40–2628,85 euros per month. For a research assistant, the salary is at level 1, where the task-specific salary component is 1917,09 euros per month.
In addition, a personal work performance component will be paid. The personal performance component is 6% - 50% of the task-specific salary component. 

A six (6) month trial period applies to the position.

Applications should be submitted at the latest on Monday, 19/09/2022 (by 23:59) using the electronic application form of the University of Turku at the following address: https://www.utu.fi/careers

The link to the application system is at the beginning of this announcement ("Apply for the job"). Only applications sent via the electronic application form are accepted.

The application written in English should include:

Working in Finland

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The group's web pages: https://datascience.utu.fi/

For further information about the position, please contact Katariina Pärnänen, [email protected]

Regarding the recruitment process, please contact HR Specialist Nina Reini, [email protected]