PostDoc computational biology / bioinformatics (m/f/d) (fulltime)

PostDoc computational biology / bioinformatics (m/f/d) (fulltime)

The position will be hosted at the Institute of Human Genetics, in the workgroup "Regulatory Genomics" of Prof. Martin Kircher. The bioinformatics group performs research in the fields of sequence analysis, data mining, machine learning and functional genomics (https://kircherlab.github.io/). Our research focuses on computational approaches of identifying functionally relevant genetic changes in disease and adaptation as well as developing more sensitive methods in diagnostics (especially exome, genome and cell-free DNA sequencing). For example, we devise computational approaches (e.g. CADD, CADD-SV, ReMM) to score and identify functionally relevant genetic changes in the human genome. Understanding how gene regulation is encoded in our genomes across development and the diversity of cell-types is one of our fundamental research questions. Within the NHGRI Impact of Genomic Variation on Function Consortium (https://igvf.org/) and with our international collaborators Dr Nadav Ahituv (University of California San Francisco) and Dr Jay Shendure (University of Washington, Seattle), we experimentally study variant effects in dynamic systems. We develop computational pipelines to infer activity measures from reporter assays and other regulatory screens. In combination with diverse functional read outs of for example promoters and enhancer sequences (like chromatin accessibility, histone marks and RNA expression), we use those to model how regulatory function is encoded in genomic sequence.

Start in our team:

The position is available as of October 1st, 2024. The contract will be issued till May 31st, 2027 with the prospect of continuation into a second funding period of IGVF. 

What we offer:

• A collaborative research environment that encourages and supports scientific curiosity, innovation, and development of its team members
• Advanced training in computational biology and career development
• Collaboration with internal and external partners; Participation in international meetings and scientific conferences
• Salary based on the German E 13 TV-L scale, if terms and conditions under collective bargaining law are fulfilled. This for example also includes 30 paid vacation days per year.
• Flexible working hours and a family-friendly environment

Your role:

• Independent work on cutting-edge projects using state-of-the-art technology,
• Analyze expression effects of high-complexity MPRA and CRISPR experiments across cell-types; Develop data standards and prepare data for analysis and reuse by an international consortium; Gain insights into the sequence encoding of molecular function and its relation to epigenetic annotations in dynamic cellular systems,
• Develop deep neural nets or classical machine learning models that integrate sequence features, DNA shape, 3D genome architecture, single cell read outs, epigenetic marks, and interactions between DNA binding factors; Improve methods for model interpretation to advance the study the gene regulatory mechanisms and genomic sequence variants,
• Actively contribute to an international consortium, to the lab, and the institute; Support the supervision and training of undergrad and graduate students 

Your profil: 

• PhD or equivalent in bioinformatics, computation-al biology or similar, alternatively in computer sciences with extensive experience in molecular biology and large-scale data analysis (specifically high-throughput sequencing data)
• Advanced knowledge of molecular biology, gene regulation and epigenetics combined with a deep understanding of sequence analysis, statistical concepts and machine learning
• Highly skilled in a programming language such as Python, R, C++, or Java joined with advanced skills in an analysis environment like R or Python scipy/scikit learn
• Experienced with Unix (incl. bash/GNU tools) and HPC environments, Demonstration of reproducible work and FAIR principles
• Highly motivated to expand knowledge and develop innovative approaches, diligent, goal-oriented and independent work attitude
• Team-oriented with interdisciplinary communication skills, excellent English language skills

We are looking forward to your application. Please submit your application until 25.09.2024, indicating your earliest possible starting date as well as the reference number 24962.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Prof. Martin Kircher: martin.kircher@uksh.de.