Researcher, human population genetics of African populations - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Organismal Biology teaches and explores the evolution, development and function on the organismal level. For more information see www.iob.uu.se.

Work description: The spread of farming practices has had a marked influence on how humans are distributed around the globe today. Inferences about the spread of farming in Africa are mostly based on linguistic and archeological studies. Genome-wide studies started to make a contribution to research on the history of African farmers but many populations remain poorly represented, making detailed inferences problematic. The present study proposes to investigate spread of farming in Sub-Saharan Africa. The successful postdoc candidate will help to coordinate various projects in the group (including field work, laboratory work and computational analyses) with the aim to generate and use genomic data from current day African populations and ancient remains to investigate the spread of farming to the various parts of the African continent.

Research will be conducted within the Schlebusch group, Human Evolution Program, Department of Organismal Biology (Evolutionary Biology Center, Uppsala University). The group is funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the European Research Council (ERC). The Schlebusch group is specifically interested in studying human history on the African continent and uses genetic data from modern day populations and ancient remains as a tool for the inference of African history. The Human Evolution Program, in which the Schlebusch group is situated, has a broad interest in population genetics and human evolution. There are ample opportunities to work closely with postdocs and PhD students that focus on related projects. The research environment is international with English being the working language. See Dr. Schlebusch web-page for more information on the research and recent publications (http://www.iob.uu.se/research/human-evolution/schlebusch) and Human Evolution Program web-page for more information on the Program (http://www.iob.uu.se/research/human-evolution).

Qualifications: Candidates must have a PhD in a relevant field. Proficiency in English is a requirement. The candidate should be highly motivated with thorough education and strong interest in evolutionary genetics/genomics, population genetics and human evolution. Postdoctoral experience in population genetics is a requirement. Previous experience with large-scale genetic data analysis, bioinformatics, and programming is a requirement.

Additional qualifications: Mathematical, computational and statistical training is advantageous. Field work experience (especially in Africa) and an interest/background in African history is also advantageous.

Salary: Individual salary.

Starting date:  2021-04-01 or as otherwise agreed.

Type of employment: Temporary position 24 months.

Scope of employment: 100 %

For further information about the position please contact: Carina Schlebusch carina.schlebusch@ebc.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 18 February 2021, UFV-PA 2021/401.