PhD scholarship in Biotechnological Data Science & Digitalization

Do you have a background in Data Science and experience working with large and complex data sets? Would you like to apply your Data Science skills to Biology and help us engineer a more sustainable future by making the engineering of cell factories more predictable and less error prone through data-driven methods? Would you also like to join a university-wide community of PhD students as part of your teaching and outreach activities to help define the future of Data Science and Digitalization at DTU? If yes, we have the right PhD position for you!

The department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the Technical University of Denmark offers a Data Science PhD position in the Section of Synthetic Biology. In this position you will get the opportunity to work with various large-scale biological data sets ranging from DNA sequencing and omics data obtained from microbes evolved or rationally engineered in the laboratory to produce valuable chemicals and proteins and better withstand stress in fermentation-based production conditions. Furthermore, you will have access to a large-scale data set covering a strain collection of roughly 40,000 fungal strains that contains. Within the scope of Synthetic Biology and the footprint of the available data, you will have the opportunity to scope your own research project with the help of your academic advisors.

This is one of eight PhD positions distributed across eight different departments at DTU. It is expected that these PhD fellows will work together with DTU faculty and other fellow students to help develop a DTU digital mindset and to transform DTU into a digital university.

Responsibilities and qualifications
Collaboratively, you will work with biotechnologists on applying machine learning to biological data sets for the purpose of making the genetic engineering of organisms predictable and efficient and to further facilitate novel biological insights.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Structure and process available data to facilitate machine learning.
• Identify and develop suitable embeddings for different types of biological (time course data, genetic data, omics data etc.) and chemical data (spectrometry etc.).
• Develop multi-modal modeling approaches to accommodate a multitude of data types.
• Apply machine learning (supervised, semi-supervised, unsupervised) to investigate large-scale data sets and predict desirable performance metrics for engineered and non-engineered microbes.

Specific qualifications we are looking for:

• Experience with Data Science and Machine Learning.
• Working knowledge of at least one programming language (Python, R, etc.).
• Background in Biology or Biotechnology is a plus.
• Experience with Bayesian optimization and/or active learning is a plus.
• Knowledge of graph databases and graph machine learning is a plus.

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education .

Assessment
The assessment of the applicants will be made by Associate Professor Nikolaus Sonnenschein (DTU Bioengineering) and Assistant Professor Marjan Mansourvar.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Nikolaus Sonnenschein ([email protected]).

You can read more about the department at http://bioengineering.dtu.dk

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark .

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 31 March 2022 (Danish time).

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply online", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

The Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (DTU Bioengineering)  is an international leader in the areas of biotechnology and biomedicine. Our engineering approach to all aspects of biotechnology and biomedicine positions us as a valuable player with unique competences in a growing bio-based economy and with health systems transforming towards personalized medicine. We have a clear focus on the needs in the life science industry and point towards innovation, new businesses, and scientific services for the benefit of society. The department has extensive collaborations with national and international research units and industry. DTU Bioengineering has approx. 340 employees, of which 2/3 are scientific staff. The department is located at DTU Lyngby Campus.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear vision to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That vision lives on today. DTU has 12,900 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.