Postdoctor in Reproductive genetics – bioinformatics

Subject area description

Miscarriage is the most common pregnancy complication, with over 23 million pregnancies ending in miscarriage every year.  This project aims to identify fetal genetic factors (SNP and de novo copy number variants) behind miscarriage, particularly among fetuses with normal chromosome counts. The postdoc fellow will lead a project using large-scale genotyping array data from miscarried fetuses and their mothers (including calling of aneuploidies and copy number variants) and contribute to ongoing efforts in this field (GWAS, meta-analyses, etc).

The postdoc fellow will primarily conduct high-quality research. The job assignments include data quality control and analysis, dissemination of results (write research articles, presentations at conferences), and supervision of Master/ PhD students. There are opportunities to expand the project’s focus within the framework of the specified project and postdoctoral fellow’s interests and specialization. The postdoc fellow is also expected to participate and assist in projects from other group members and colleagues, and to contribute to administrative tasks such as data acquisition and applications to the ethics committee, among others. As a postdoc in Pol’s new group, you will have the opportunity to significantly influence and define the lab’s culture. You will shape how we approach science, mentor students and develop as a research team.

Eligibility

To be eligible for appointment as a postdoc, the applicant is required to have a doctoral degree, a doctoral degree in art or a foreign degree that is deemed to be equivalent to a doctoral degree. This eligibility requirement must be met before the employment decision is made.

In the first instance, those who have completed their degree no more than three years prior to the end of the application period shall be considered. Those who have completed their degree more than three years prior to the end of the application period may also be considered in the first instance if special grounds exist. Special grounds relate to leave of absence due to illness, parental leave, commissions of trust within union organisations, service within the defence services or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical service or service/assignment relevant to the subject area.

Assessment criteria

The applicant must have a PhD degree in a field equivalent or similar to molecular biology, statistical biology, biomedicine, epidemiology, genetics, statistics, mathematical, computer or biomedical sciences. Ability to work in R/ Python and a UNIX environment are required as well as excellent oral and written English language skills.

The position requires collaboration with colleagues and other research groups, but ability to generate and pursue research ideas independently will be essential.

Merits are:
– Proven ability to write coherent scientific text (at least one published or submitted manuscript where the applicant is the first author and wrote a major part of the text)
– Knowledge of physiology and biology of pregnancy and/ or statistics
Proven experience:
– in calling copy number variants or aneuploidies
– with population genetics (microarrays, GWAS, GxE studies)
– in statistical modeling, either in the context of genetics or epidemiology
– in large data analysis or bioinformatics
– in student supervision
– with version control in Git and reproducible science

These qualifications, will be used for ranking candidates, by assessment of competence and proficiency, applicants which are deemed to have the best conditions for implementing the current tasks and contributing to a positive development of the research group will be selected. Great emphasis will be placed on personal suitability (collaborative, creative and structured).