A 3-year PhD Scholarship is available for a highly motivated candidate in the lab of Robin Andersson in the Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. The successful candidate is expected to start on June 2015 or shortly thereafter.
Context
The Andersson lab is a newly started research group funded by the European Research Council (Horizon 2020). The group focuses on genomics and computational/statistical modeling of transcriptional regulation based on large-scale sequencing data, including experimental data generated from within the lab and data from the FANTOM consortium. We aim to characterize and better understand the architectures and complexities of transcriptional regulation (see e.g. Andersson et al. 2014, Nature) and gain insights into the mechanisms of regulation. We further focus on the fundamental properties of enhancers and promoters (see Andersson 2015, BioEssays) as well as the biogenesis and characteristics of enhancer RNAs (see e.g. Andersson et al. 2014, Nat Comms). For more information, see http://anderssonlab.org.
The lab is based in a highly collaborative environment in the Bioinformatics Centre in the Section for Computational and RNA Biology, which is currently composed of 11 strong research groups. The Department of Biology is located at the Biocenter in central Copenhagen, Denmark.
Projects
The successful candidate is expected to work on projects related, but not limited, to 1) computational modeling of enhancer regulation and genome-wide mapping of enhancer architectures; 2) systematical characterization of these architectures based on large-sale sequencing data and sequence analysis in order to understand what determines their spatio-temporal activity; and 3) assessment of the extent and impact of individual variation and genetic variants in regulatory architectures in order to understand their importance, stochasticity and robustness.
Qualifications
The successful candidate should have a computational and/or statistical background and experience with analysis of large-scale data. Training and experiences with DNA or RNA sequencing data, computational modeling, machine learning and/or statistical learning techniques are considered a major plus. Importantly, the candidate should have a strong interest in transcription and transcriptional regulation.
Specifically, the candidate should meet the following requirements:
- a MSc in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology or in a related quantitative field to be able to quickly acquire Bioinformatics computational skills
- programming and data analytical skills
- fluent English
The following are not required but considered a plus:
- experience in analyzing high-throughput sequencing data
- experience in statistical learning and/or machine learning techniques
Application
The application, in English, must be submitted electronically online.
Your application should include the following documents:
- A cover letter
- Curriculum vitae, including the names and contact details of two references
An assessment committee will be appointed to evaluate the applications. The applicants will be notified of the composition of the committee and the final selection of successful candidates will be made by the Head of Department, based on the recommendations of the assessment committee. The main criterion for selection will be the research potential of the applicant. The successful candidates will then be requested to formally apply for enrolment as PhD students at the PhD school of Science. Information about the PhD program at the Faculty of Science can be found at http://www.science.ku.dk/english/research/phd
Terms of salary and employment
Terms of appointment and payment are in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Federation of Professional Associations (AC). The starting salary for candidates with an MSc degree will be a minimum of DKK 305,290 annually (April 2014 level) plus pension contribution with the possibility of salary negotiation.
The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
The deadline for applications is April 13, 2015.
Applications received after the deadline, or with insufficient documentation or otherwise not complying with the above requirements, may not be considered. It is expected that the successful candidate will be enrolled at the PhD School of Science.
