Postdoc in Bioinformatics/Data Science at Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology – University of Copenhagen – job portal

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Postdoc in Bioinformatics/Data Science at Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
University of Copenhagen

We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic postdoc for an ambitious bioinformatician / data scientist for a two-year Postdoc with possibilities for extension commencing 1 May 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology is committed to research-based teaching and interdisciplinary research that supports the development and understanding of chemical and pharmacological properties of drugs and drug targets. We work as part of a dynamic academic community of research, education and innovation within the Pharmaceutical Sciences bridging Health Sciences and Life Sciences.

Information about the Department can be found at ?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrug.ku.dk%2F&module=jobs&id=2500943″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrug.ku.dk%2F&module=jobs&id=2500943″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>drug.ku.dk/

Our group and research
The explosion of biomedical data in genomics, structural biology, pharmacology, and related fields provide new opportunities to deepen our understanding of human physiology and disease. We integrate these data with innovative computational tools to gain novel insights into protein biology. Our strength is the combined expertise in selected biological systems with the integration of diverse often unique datasets and hypotheses. The common objective of our projects is to gain insights into novel drug targets and to reveal fundamental principles in biological systems. The Hauser group  consists of 10-15 members with a very international profile and provides a strong and ambitious research environment.

Job description
The position is part of an ambitious project funded by the Carlsberg Foundation entitled ” Discovery of novel peptide-GPCR signalling systems across evolutionary domains”.

WHAT: The genomic revolution has allowed researchers to generate and analyse genome-scale datasets to improve our understanding of fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes. However, little focus has been given on inter-species molecular interactions mediated by peptide:receptor couplings. Here, we want to develop state-of-the-art comparative genomics and end-to-end deep learning pipelines to find inter-species and across-domains-of-life peptide:receptor pairs that have co-evolved for their respective ecological niche. This includes, but is not limited to, microbiome-derived peptide-hormones, plant-derived sweet-tasting proteins, and venom-derived peptides from cone-snails, snakes, and spiders, elucidating novel molecular interconnections between species retelling evolutionary processes.

WHY: Organisms constantly interact with their environment. At the molecular level, some of these interactions are driven directly or indirectly through small molecules or peptides. Among naturally occurring compounds, peptides from plants, cone-snails, snakes, spiders, fungi, and bacteria are of particular interest as they cover a chemical space directly encoded in the organisms’ genomes. Some of these peptides are known to interact across species such as for fertilization, communication, and defense mechanisms. While the genomic revolution has allowed researchers to generate and analyse genome-scale datasets to identify putative peptides, interactions to their respective receptors have mostly been discovered by chance. Here, we want to employ novel computational methods and datasets to discover and predict inter-species peptide:receptor interactions to explain how biophysical and functional relationships remain coordinated over evolutionary time.

HOW: Deep learning-based approaches, such as AlphaFold2 (AF2), achieved remarkable performances on the prediction of protein structures. Moreover, these methods also outperform classical protein-protein docking strategies. This project will significantly expand this analytical framework, incorporating ever-increasing publicly available data including thousands of metagenomes from microbial communities, millions of structural protein models, and a plethora of omics-dataset from all clades of life. You will build and utilize end-to-end deep-learning protocols based on AF2’s transformative methods and models underlying residue-residue co-evolution to process and analyze protein-protein predictions.

Profile and key criteria for the assessment of applicants
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following competencies and experience:

Essential experience and skills:

  • You have a PhD related to bioinformatics, systems biology, pharmaceutical sciences, applied math/statistics, data science, or related fields
  • You have excellent programming skills, preferably in Python or R
  • You have experience with computational tools for dataset analysis and parsing
  • You have proficient communication skills and ability to work in teams
  • Excellent English skills written and spoken

Desirable experience and skills:

  • Experience with Machine learning/ Deep learning
  • Experience with software and pipeline design
  • Code versioning with Github
  • Experience working with protein structure and protein-protein predictions (e.g. AlphaFold-Multimer)
  • Knowledge of cell biology, protein structures, evolution and associated databases including experience with processing, analysing, visualising, and critically interpreting biological data
  • A curious mind-set with a strong interest in protein science
  • The applicant should be reliable and well organized. The work requires independence and demands flexibility and accuracy. Further, you must have good interpersonal skills and interest in working in an international team

The person will be required to relocate to Copenhagen and key responsibilities will include: establishing research ideas together with the principal investigator, leading the research project on a day-to-day basis, presenting research in internal meetings and international conferences, taking an active part in manuscript writing, and translating new knowledge in the subject area into research activity. There will be the opportunity to supervise more junior group members and contribute to teaching and dissemination activities.

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen ( ?url=www.drug.ku.dk&module=jobs&id=2500943″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>?url=www.drug.ku.dk&module=jobs&id=2500943″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>www.drug.ku.dk ). We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include a computational core facility and modern laboratories. Moreover, we are part of the Center for Health Data Science ( HeaDS )

Terms of employment
The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 2 years. The starting date is 1 May 2023 or after agreement.

Salary, pension and other conditions of employment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant organisation. Currently, the monthly salary starts at 35,700 DKK/approx. 4,790 EUR (October 2022 level). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated. The employer will pay an additional 17.1 % to your pension fund.

Foreign and Danish applicants may be eligible for tax reductions, if they hold a PhD degree and have not lived in Denmark the last 10 years.

The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020.

Questions
For further information please contact Associate Professor Alexander Sebastian Hauser, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology. E-mail: alexander.hausersund.ku.dk , phone: +45 3533 2556 ?url=www.sund.ku.dk&module=jobs&id=2500943″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>?url=www.sund.ku.dk&module=jobs&id=2500943″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>www.sund.ku.dk

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: ?url=www.ism.ku.dk&module=jobs&id=2500943″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>?url=www.ism.ku.dk&module=jobs&id=2500943″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).

Application procedure
Your online application must be submitted in English by clicking ’Apply now’ below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

  1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page).
  2. CV incl. education, work/research experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position.
  3. A certified/signed copy of a) PhD certificate and b) Master of Science certificate. If the PhD is not completed, a written statement from the supervisor will do.
  4. List of publications, including a separate section or marking of up to 5 most important selected articles.
  5. Other information to consider: References and recommendations

Deadline for applications: 26 February 2023, 23.59pm CET

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor. Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at ?url=https%3A%2F%2Femployment.ku.dk%2Ffaculty%2Frecruitment-process%2F&module=jobs&id=2500943″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>?url=https%3A%2F%2Femployment.ku.dk%2Ffaculty%2Frecruitment-process%2F&module=jobs&id=2500943″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

Interviews are expected to be held in mid-March.

The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.

Contact

Alexander Sebastian Hauser

E-mail: alexander.hausersund.ku.dk

Info

Application deadline: 26-02-2023

Employment start: 01-05-2023

Working hours: Full time

Department/Location: Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology

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