Postdoctoral in bioinformatics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description of the workplace
The Cardiovascular research - Translational studies is studying cardiovascular disease with a focus on biological differences that underlie acute complications such as heart attacks and strokes. The research is translational and includes studies of human tissue and several in-vitro models. The group has for many years been at the forefront of the field and has established collaborations with several international research groups.

The group, led by professor Isabel Goncalves and associate professor Andreas Edsfeldt, consists of postdocs, doctoral students, bioinformatics and laboratory engineers with both clinical and preclinical backgrounds. The group is located at CRC in Malmö.

We are promoting a broad cooperation between our group members and other groups in the same research environment. We are supporting the younger members of our team in their efforts to establish themselves as independent researchers. You can read more about our research on our website.

We offer
Lund University is a government agency, which means that you receive special benefits, generous holidays and a favorable occupational pension. Read more on the university's website about being employed at Lund University.

We strive for a working environment that is developing and stimulating for all employees and where everyone is treated with respect. We constantly work to create conditions for job satisfaction, development and participation for all employees. We protect both physical safety and the psychosocial work environment.

Work duties and responsibilities
We are looking for a motivated Postdoctoral research fellow for a for a unique world-class project that aims to reveal biological changes underlying atherosclerotic complications, the most common cause death globally. Parts of the project also specifically target diseases closely linked to atherosclerosis such as diabetes.

The project is based on a world-unique human tissue biobank with a large amount of samples of atherosclerotic plaques, where we study difference in biological processes, such as metabolic patterns, cell phenotypes, inflammation and extracellular matrix, which could cause acute atherosclerotic complications, as well as other large human cohorts (that have imaging, RNA seq, GWAS and clinical follow up data). Studies based on the project have generated several high impact publications (e.g. European Heart Journal, JACC, Circulation). The project also includes close collaborations with other strong groups in internationally well-known environments (e.g. Oxford, Amsterdam and Mayo Clinic USA).

The position offers a great opportunity to be involved in a project with high potential for future clinical applicability.

You will work in direct collaboration with professor Isabel Goncalves and associate professor Andreas Edsfeldt. The group consists of 15 people (including nurses, biomedical researchers, fellows, postdocs and PhD students) and is part of the Lund University Diabetes Center (LUDC) where there is a great interest in cardiovascular complications of diabetes. Due to the growing amount of data and possible targets generated by the group, the postdoc will be essential in independent target validation and data analyses. You are expected to independently design and perform experiments, supervise junior members, run statistical analyses, interpret the data and present the results in publications and at international meetings.

The candidate should be knowledgeable in genomics and/or machine learning. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and implementing bioinformatics pipelines and tools to advance research projects. This will involve analyzing and interpreting large-scale genomic and imaging data, identifying genetic variants, biomarkers and molecular mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis, and predicting consequent cardiovascular events.

The candidate is also expected to independently introduce and optimize methods.

Other assignments may also occur.

Eligibility
Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position. This eligibility requirement needs to be met no later than the time when the employment decision is made, and evidence that this requirement is met needs to have been sent in by this time at the latest. We will mainly consider candidates who have completed their PhD degree no more than three (3) years before the date of the announcement. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier. These circumstances refer to leave due to illness, parental leave, clinical work, positions of trust within trade union organizations or other similar circumstances.

Basis for assessment
At Lund University, employment as a postdoctoral researcher provides opportunities for development of scientific and pedagogical merit. Development of research merit is prioritized, but there are also opportunities for higher education pedagogical training. Teaching may be included in the tasks.

For the employment as a postdoctoral research, scientific ability will primarily be considered.

Other qualifications
The job requires:

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genomics, or a related field.
• Proven experience in analyzing transcriptomic (bulk, single-cell and spatial RNA-seq), imaging (histology staining, ultrasound and CT), genetic (SNP array, Exome-seq and WGS), epigenetic (Methylation array, ChIP-seq and ATAC-Seq) and high-throughput proteomic data.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python or Java.
• Good knowledge of statistical analysis in R or SPSS.
• Experience in writing scientific manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Proficiency in oral and written English

The following are considered to be a merit:

• Proven experience in developing/applying machine learning in medical research is a plus.
• Good experience of supervising students and doctoral students
• Completed international postdoc

We will also pay attention to personal attributes, favouring individuals that are flexible, social and used to collaborative international work, taking initiatives and working in well-documented way. Experience of working in an international environment will be considered as a plus.

Terms of employment
The employment is a full-time, fixed-term position for 2 years, with a possible extension for up to one additional year. The preliminary starting date is 2023-06-01 or as agreed. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S, OFR/S and SEKO, dated November 19, 2021. The employment can be extended if there are special circumstances. These circumstances refer to leave due to illness, parental leave, clinical work, positions of trust within trade union organizations or other similar circumstances.

Instructions for your application
The application must contain:

A personal letter (max 2 pages) describing why you are interested in the project and how you fulfill the desired qualifications (including a short description of earlier independent projects and technical skills), your research interests and future career plans. CV – including names and contact information of two earlier supervisors. Complete publication list (can be included in the CV). Copy of PhD diploma (or equivalent, stating the date of PhD graduation).