Postdoc in bioinformatics and biological sequence analysis

Registration website

The plant section at the Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG) is starting an exciting research project on the prediction of deleterious genetic effects in plant species. In this project, we are seeking applicants for a 2.5-year postdoctoral position in bioinformatics and biological sequence analysis.

Starting Date and Period
The position is for 30 months with possible extension, and is available from January 1st, 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Job description
The project is supported by an Emerging Investigator grant by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, which funds groundbreaking research with promising applications in data science and the green transition in Europe. In this project, we will infer the effects of point mutations on plant fitness, based on evolutionary constraint and machine learning models (natural language processing applied to gene and protein sequences). This project will offer a unique opportunity to validate predicted fitness effects in experimental populations to support applications in genomic prediction and new breeding techniques. We are looking for a motivated postdoctoral associate to lead our effort towards the prediction of fitness effects. In this project, the candidate will gain mentoring experience, by collaborating with a PhD student for the validation of predictions in experimental populations, and substantial international experience as a visiting scientist in an international research group, during 6 to 12 months. Finally, they will be able to present their work and disseminate their results at international conferences.

Your profile
Applicants should hold (or be expected to hold) a PhD degree in bioinformatics, computer science (applied to the analysis of sequence data), computational biology, quantitative genetics, population genetics, or related fields.

The ideal candidate will have:

• extensive knowledge of bioinformatics.
• work experience in comparative genomics and/or natural language processing techniques applied to biological sequence data.
• publication records as first author, in journals related to bioinformatics, computer science, computational biology, population genetics or genomics.
• effective communication skills for presenting research results clearly, to a broad audience.
• interests for collaborating with scientists across disciplines (e.g., quantitative geneticists and plant biologists) and levels (e.g., PhD students, technical staff).

The candidate is not required to speak Danish.

Who we are
QGG is a major center for research and education in quantitative genetics and quantitative genomics at Aarhus University (http://www.qgg.au.dk/en). We conduct basic and applied research within livestock and plant breeding as well as human applications for precision medicine. The research within QGG is characterized by a very close synergy between the development of methods and their application to practical problems across species, in collaboration with industry partners. QGG is an international research center with about 70 employees and visiting researchers from over 15 nations. QGG works in teams and strives for an excellent working environment, in which we value self-leadership, open communication, and commitment to diversity and inclusion.

What we offer
The successful candidate is offered:

• research experience in an interdisciplinary research project, combining state-of-the-art techniques in comparative genomics and sequence analysis, innovative population development, and multi-omic data in plant biology (epigenomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic data).
• training and international experience as a visiting scientist in a research group outside Denmark, for a duration of 6 to 12 months.
• mentoring experience in collaboration with PhD student.
• computational resources, including the Genetics/Genomics High-Performance Cluster and GenomeDK, with growing capabilities (additional nodes, GPUs).
• a collaborative environment, in which the candidate will be able to share across subfields (quantitative genetics,  bioinformatics, machine learning) and applications(basic biology, agriculture and biomedicine).
• a research environment characterized by collaboration, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and success in mentoring.

Place of Work
The place of work is the Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, 8000, Aarhus (Denmark). 

Contact Information
For further information about the project or the position, please contact Dr. Guillaume Ramstein, +45 42 52 12 66, [email protected].
 

Application procedure Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants. Letter of reference If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration. Formalities and salary range Technical Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.