Computational PhD Position in Enhancer Evolution and Synthetic…

The Madsen group at SDU invites applications from outstanding PhD candidates who are interested in joining the team and the Human Gene Regulation Map, a part of the new Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease in a three-year PhD position. The position is available from 1 March 2023, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The Section for Data Science and Statistics
The Madsen group is located at the Section for Data Science and Statistics (DSS) at the Department o f Mathematics and Computer Science, SDU. The DSS currently hosts sixteen independent research groups focusing on various aspects of data science, including three groups working with bioinformatics and computational biology. The Section constitutes an international, ambitious, highly dynamic, and well-equipped working environment having access to state-of-the-art computing facilities, including high performance computing systems.

Research Projects and Roles
As a PhD student in the Madsen group, you will be engaged in a highly ambitious project aimed at shedding new light on the regulatory and functional architecture of the human genome with the aim of furthering the understanding of how it contributes to health and disease. You will interact and collaborate closely with other researchers in the Madsen group as well as with members of the other research groups within the DSS, the department and the research centres.

The successful candidate will be embedded in the HGRM project with opportunities to collaborate closely with international partners in the centre. The candidate will be responsible for a project which aims to understand enhancer evolution and design optimized synthetic enhancers targeting specific cell types in the liver with therapeutic potential. To achieve those aims, the successful candidate will apply recent machine learning architectures to both public and in-house high-throughput datasets, and subsequently interpret these models to glean new insights into the rules underlying enhancer architecture and control of the human genome.

Qualifications/requirements
We are looking for highly motivated, dedicated, and ambitious candidates with:

* A Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics, Data Science, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a closely related field.
* Documented experience with statistical programming (e.g. R or Python).
* Documented experience with (single-cell) -omics data analysis, e.g. (sn)ATAC-seq.
* Strong communication and collaborative skills and an interest in working in an interdisciplinary environment.
* Proficiency in spoken and written English.
Experience with liver biology is considered an advantage.

We offer:

* A three-year PhD position in a stimulating and supportive, international research environment.
* Access to state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, and infrastructure.
* Opportunity to interact with an extensive network of national and international collaborators.
* A competitive salary and social benefits (e.g. health coverage, parental leave, social security etc.).
* Dedicated assistance and support with various practical, social, and legal aspects (housing, visa, administration, tax etc.), especially for international candidates through our international staff office (ISO) and department.

De adline: 27 December 2022.

Please see the full call, including how to apply, on www.sdu.dk .