Postdoc position in Bioinformatics - Comparative Genomics

The lab for Systems Biology of Kevin Verstrepen is a research team at VIB & University of Leuven. Our team focuses on genomics, genetics, epigenetics, transcriptomic, and evolution, using yeast as a model. We combine wet-lab and computational research to investigate how biological systems work and evolve.

Example publications include: (names in bold are bio-informaticians from our group):

J. Helsen, K. Voordeckers, L. Vanderwaeren, T. Santermans, M. Tsontaki, K.J. Verstrepen * and R. Jelier*. Gene loss predictably drives evolutionary adaptation. MBE 2020. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msaa172 (IF 14.8)

A. Jariani, L. Vermeersch, B. Cerulus, G. Perez-Samper, K. Voordeckers, T. Van Brussel, B. Thienpont, D. Lambrechts and K.J. Verstrepen (2020). A new protocol for single-cell RNA-seq reveals stochastic gene expression during lag phase in budding yeast.  eLife 2020;9:e55320 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.55320 (IF 7.5).

B. Gallone, J. Steensels, S. Mertens, M.C. Dzialo, J.L. Gordon, R. Wauters, F.A. Theßeling, F. Bellinazzo, V. Saels, B. Herrera-Malaver, T. Prahl, C. White, M. Hutzler, F. Meußdoerffer, P. Malcorps, B. Souffriau, L. Daenen, G. Baele, S. Maere and K.J. Verstrepen (2019). Interspecific hybridisation facilitates niche adaptation in beer yeast.  Nature Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559... ">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0997-9">https://doi.org/10.1038/s4155...  (IF 11).

Gallone B, Steensels J, Prahl T, Soriaga L, Saels V, Herrera-Malaver B, Merlevede A, Roncoroni M, Voordeckers K, Miraglia L, Teiling C, Steffy B, Taylor M, Schwartz A, Richardson T, White C, Baele G, Maere S, Verstrepen KJ. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27610566 Domestication and Divergence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Beer Yeasts.Cell (2016).

Voordeckers K, Kominek J, Das A, Espinosa-Cantú A, De Maeyer D, Arslan A, Van Pee M, van der Zande E, Meert W, Yang Y, Zhu B, Marchal K, DeLuna A, Van Noort V, Jelier R, Verstrepen KJ. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26545090 Adaptation to High Ethanol Reveals Complex Evolutionary Pathways. PLoS Genetics (2015)

The lab is located at Leuven University, one of the oldest and most prominent universities in Europe consistently ranked within the top 50 worldwide universities. Leuven is located 10 miles from Brussels, with frequent direct train connections to Brussels airport.

We are looking for a highly motivated and talented postdoctoral researcher, specialized in comparative genomics and sequence analysis. In your role, you will work on exciting research projects – you will be directly collaborating with our team of wet-lab scientists who are generating novel data (whole-genome sequences, RNAseq transcriptome data, Illumina, 454, PacBio,…). These collaborations also allow your computational results to be experimentally validated.

Essential

• You have a Ph.D. degree in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or related.
  
• You have hands-on experience with or a strong interest in bioinformatics programming, including Linux, scripting) and R
  
• You have experience with the analysis of next-generation sequence data such as whole-genome sequencing, CNV, Structural variation, and RNA- Seq.
  
• You are fluent in English, for both written and oral communication
  

Key personal characteristics

• As a postdoc, you have a strong research output (peer-reviewed publications in high-quality journals (e.g. Genome Research, Cell, Science, Nature journals…)
• You are enthused about scientific research and have a strong interest in studying biology using genomics and systems biology approaches.
  
• You must have good, open communication skills and be willing to collaborate with multiple other researchers from our team.
  

• The ability to work on scientifically exceptional and high-impact research topics
  
• Full-time appointment as a postdoctoral fellow at VIB / KU Leuven, a highly-ranked research institute with a competitive pay scale and benefits (health insurance, sports facilities,... )
  
• A stimulating and supportive international research environment (with English as the main language)
  
• Various training opportunities within VIB and KU Leuven to broaden your expertise and skills
• State-of-the-art infrastructure
• Job is available immediately, starting date is negotiable
  

Motivated candidates are asked to apply online. Additional requirements:

• Please upload your full  CV including a list of your scientific publications and motivation letter
  
• Please add the contact details of at least two references
  

More information: http://www.kuleuven.be/verstrepen http://www.kuleuven.be/verstre...

">http://www.kuleuven.be/verstrepen">http://www.kuleuven.be/verstre......

Our institute greatly values diverse standpoints and promotes an inclusive environment in which everyone is respected.