Postdoctoral position in Molecular Evolution - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Postdoctoral position in Molecular Evolution

Are you interested in working with the analysis of existing genomic and proteomic datasets, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a Postdoctoral position at Uppsala University.

The Department of Cell and Molecular Biology is divided into seven research programs, each focusing on different areas within cell and molecular biology: computational biology and bioinformatics, microbiology and immunology, molecular biology, molecular biophysics, molecular evolution, molecular systems biology, and structural biology. The scientific foundation of what we do lies in biology, but our research overlaps with other fields such as medicine, computer science, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, and physics. The department has over 200 employees, including around 60 doctoral students. Please read more about our work at https://icm.uu.se.

The position is placed in the Molecular Evolution program, with main supervisor Jennifer James. The applicant will become a member of a newly established research group focusing on mutational robustness, with the overall aim of improving our understanding of the fitness effects of new mutations and the evolution of the proteome. If you are interested in using bioinformatics and computational biology to address big question in evolutionary biology, please get in touch!

Duties
The project will involve the analysis of existing genomic and proteomic datasets. The successful applicant will be responsible for conducting statistical analyses, and for writing and publishing scientific articles. There are two specific research projects that the applicant could spearhead, with flexibility for the applicant to shape the direction of their research to their skillsets and interests.

In the first project, the applicant will explore proteome evolution to understand the effects that speciation and duplication at the level of the protein sequence have on the functional and structural diversity of proteins. The applicant will build protein-level phylogenetic trees to assess the relationship between these processes. The applicant will also examine whether mutational robustness confers an adaptive advantage, by assessing whether the most mutationally robust sequences have undergone the greatest degree of expansion over evolutionary time. In the second project, the applicant will focus on investigating patterns of molecular evolution and mutational robustness that vary with genome structure and gene function, by investigating patterns in the fitness effects of new mutations. The project could also include a consideration of the effects of large-scale genome structure changes, such as variation in genome size.

Requirements
We are looking for a highly motivated individual with a PhD degree in biology or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD degree in biology. The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the start date of employment. Priority will be given to applicants who have completed their degree no more than three years before the deadline for applications. Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc. Candidates must be able to express themselves fluently in spoken and written English.

A population genetics or evolutionary biology background will be considered beneficial for this position. The applicant will be responsible for the collaborative creation and curation of protein and DNA datasets, and as such experience of computational biology or bioinformatics is desired, as are good communication skills, and the ability to work collaboratively. The ideal candidate is comfortable with bioinformatics and performing analyses on sequence data, and enjoys exploring research ideas independently.

Additional qualifications
Ability to code in Python is a valuable skill for this post. Experience working with a high-performance computer cluster is also important, as is an ability to use command line tools, and to conduct statistical analyses in programmes such as R.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement. Full time position. Starting date 2025-02-10 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

Application
The application in English should include:

1. a letter of intent describing yourself, your research interests and motivation of why you are applying for this position
2. CV
3. Name and contact information to at least two reference persons (e-mail address and phone no.)
4. Relevant publications
5. PhD exam 

For further information about the position, please contact: Jennifer James, jennifer.james@icm.uu.se

Please submit your application by the 7th of January 2025, UFV-PA 2024/4191.

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