Postdoctoral position: “Single Cell RNA-seq Analysis for Bacterial Pathogen” (all genders)

Area of research:

Scientific / postdoctoral posts

Job description:

Area of research:

Project description:

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies are changing the way biology is done, and have been widely applied to eukaryotic systems. Recent developments, including work at the HIRI (Imdahl et al. “Single-cell RNA-sequencing reports growth-condition-specific global transcriptomes of individual bacteria”, Nature Microbiology, 2020), have made scRNA-seq in bacteria possible. These methods open up new possibilities for investigating the effects of expression heterogeneity during infection and on antibiotic tolerance and resistance.  The Barquist lab is now recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to develop analyses tailored to scRNA-seq of bacterial pathogens. All work will be done in close collaboration with experimentalists from the Vogel and Saliba groups at HIRI. The successful candidate will work in a team with deep experience in the analysis and interpretation of functional genomics data, with access to world-class computational resources located at the HZI, JMU, and within the Helmholtz Association. Opportunities will be available for the candidate to develop their own research projects in the bacterial scRNA-seq space with the support of experimental groups at the HIRI, depending on candidate background and interest.

Prerequisite:

• PhD or equivalent in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Microbiology or a related field in the computational or biological sciences


• Proven experience in the analysis of sequencing data using Python and R/Bioconductor packages


• Experience working in a Linux-based high-performance computing environment


• Strong written and spoken English language communication skills

Desired (non-essential) background:

• Previous experience with single-cell RNA-seq


• Experience with scientific workflow development (e.g. Nextflow, Snakemake)


• Basic knowledge of microbiology or infection biology, or a strong desire to learn

Salary:E13 TVöD Bund

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.