Post-doc bioinformatics

Many lung diseases start in childhood, and these diseases are among the most common chronic diseases worldwide. In the Netherlands, 1.2 million people suffer from either chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. Through our efforts, we would like to help all patients breathe freely.

Job description

In a project funded by the Netherlands Lung Foundation, we investigate lung growth up to peak lung function in early adulthood in the national birth cohort PIAMA (Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy). This unique cohort investigates over 4,000 children from birth into early adulthood. We aim to understand what determines lung growth, as low lung function is a risk factor for COPD and collected data on nasal epigenome, and blood metabolome. If the candidate is successful, we will offer a second position (2 years) funded by a VICI scholarship to professor Koppelman, where we investigate asthma development in childhood by mul-omics analysis, including single cell RNA sequencing and DNA-methylation.

Integrative multi-omics is a central part of GRIACs activities, and GRIAC investigators have leading roles in single cell transcriptome sequencing, genome sequencing, epigenetic and integrative multi-omics studies of asthma, allergy, and COPD. We lead international research consortia, and have a strong portfolio of academic and industrial collaborations. We incorporate methods from artificial intelligence in our research and are able to train you in innovative methods.

The candidate is expected to

• Perform epigenetic analysis of nasal DNA methylation and lung growth.
• Integrate these data with other ‘omic’ layers, including genetic variation, and gene expression, at two different timepoints using machine learning.
• Participate in the National PIAMA consortium, as well as international collaborations.
• Contribute to the training and supervision of PhD students in our department.

Working environment

We offer a unique, multidisciplinary working environment with a wide range of possibilities for personal development and building expertise in a diversity of research areas. You will directly work with experts in genetics, transcriptomics, single -cell sequencing, asthma, COPD, and computational biology. You will play a role in the weekly meetings of our multidisciplinary working group on Systems Genomics in lung disease. You will be closely working in an energetic and enthusiastic team of more than 20 researchers from diverse backgrounds. The group has an extensive network, both nationally and internationally. You will work in the national birth cohort PIAMA together with University of Utrecht and RIVM. We collaborate with a top-level company on artificial intelligence (REWIRE) to boost AI approaches in lung disease research.

Organization

The candidate will have an appointment at the Department of Pediatrics but will work closely with our multidisciplinary team at the Department of Pulmonology, Medical Biology and Pathology, and ERIBA within GRIAC.

What do we need

We are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious computational biologist / bioinformatician with an PhD in computational biology, bioinformatics or an adjacent relevant field. The candidate has extensive knowledge of and experience in with statistical methods and computational approaches to analyze large, multi-omic datasets using appropriate software including R and Python. The candidate is able to conduct independent research and analysis as evident from a track record of competitive publications and open repositories with analysis methods (such as on Github). We expect the candidate to demonstrate professional competences in team science, show the ability to effectively communicate with collaborators and occasionally present oral communication to large groups; the candidate is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results. The candidate has ample experience with quantitative research, (big) data analysis, and is proficient in English writing.

Candidates who have (almost) completed a PhD degree in computational biology, bioinformatics, or related fields are also invited to respond.

What do we offer

Your salary will be a maximum of € 5.504,- gross per month (scale 10), depending on your qualifications and relevant experience, based on a full-time appointment. In addition, the UMCG will offer you 8% holiday pay, and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The conditions of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for Medical Centres (CAO-UMC).

You will first be appointed for a period of 18 months. After a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for the remaining part of the project (an additional 24 months). Intended starting date: December 2024