Scientist - Bioinformatics

Research & Innovation

About the job

Join the Gut Microbiome Team at Danone's Global Research & Innovation Centre in Utrecht and contribute to advancing our understanding of the relationship between nutrition, the gut microbiome and health. As a Scientist - Bioinformatics, you will play a key role in generating biological insights from microbiome, clinical, nutritional and multi-omics data, helping translate cutting-edge science into evidence that supports innovation and health-focused research.

• Netherlands
• Utrecht
• Hybrid
• Permanent Full-Time

Working at the intersection of biology, nutrition and data science, you will combine computational approaches with biological understanding to extract meaningful insights from complex datasets. Your work will help answer important scientific questions, support research and clinical programmes, and contribute to the development of new nutritional solutions grounded in robust scientific evidence.

As part of a highly collaborative and multidisciplinary environment, you will work closely with microbiologists, clinicians, nutrition scientists, data scientists and other research partners. Together, you will contribute to advancing microbiome science while supporting scientific publications, intellectual property generation and innovation initiatives across Danone's research ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyse gut microbiome data, particularly shotgun metagenomics.
• Investigate relationships between the microbiome, nutrition and health.
• Analyse microbial genomes and sequencing data.
• Integrate microbiome data with clinical, dietary, metabolomics and other biological data.
• Apply appropriate statistical methods to complex biological datasets.
• Develop reproducible workflows using R/Python, Linux, Git and workflow-management tools such as Nextflow or Snakemake.
• Work with large datasets in HPC and/or cloud computing environments.
• Contribute to the development of microbiome biomarkers, scores, visualisations and data-driven tools.
• Ensure good practices for reproducibility, documentation and data analysis.
• Communicate results clearly to multidisciplinary scientific teams.

About you

You will be part of Danone’s Gut Microbiome Team within the Medical & Nutritional Science Department, based at the Global Research & Innovation Centre in Utrecht.

The team works across microbiome science, biotics research, clinical evidence and nutrition science. You will collaborate closely with experts from different scientific and technical backgrounds, including microbiologists, clinicians, nutrition scientists, data scientists and external technology partners.

The working environment is collaborative, evidence-driven and international. You will be expected to communicate complex computational and biological findings in a clear way, making your insights accessible to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Required

• PhD in bioinformatics, microbiome science, computational biology, microbiology, systems biology or a related field.
• Good understanding of the human gut microbiome and microbial ecology.
• Experience analysing shotgun metagenomics data.
• Proficiency in R and/or Python and experience working in Linux.
• Strong statistical analysis and biological interpretation skills.
• Experience developing reproducible and documented bioinformatics workflows.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively across scientific disciplines.

Preferred

• Experience with microbial genomics, strain analysis, functional profiling or multi-omics integration.
• Familiarity with workflow tools such as Nextflow or Snakemake, containers and HPC/cloud environments.
• Experience with machine learning for biological data.
• Experience with Azure, Databricks or other scalable computing platforms.
• Familiarity with metabolic modelling or systems biology.
• Experience developing dashboards or interactive analytical applications.
• Track record of scientific publications or conference presentations.

About Danone

Our state-of-the-art research and innovation center builds bridges between food and science and is global in reach and is at the forefront of pioneering advances in specialized nutrition.

We offer:

All Danoners receive a complete package of benefits. This includes a competitive salary and yearly bonus, a premium free pension, 30 days of annual leave (with the opportunity to purchase more) and you will receive a monthly health care allowance. In addition, you can get discount on your gym membership, and we offer initiatives focused on nutrition, physical, and mental health. We provide continuous learning opportunities through workshops, online courses and training sessions.