PhD student position in Population Genomics

PhD student position in Population Genomics

Are you interested in working with temporal population genomics, 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 PhD student position at Uppsala University.

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research university with a strong international position. The mission is to conduct research and education of the highest quality and to interact with society in various ways. Our most important asset is all the individuals who with their curiosity and commitment make Uppsala University one of the most exciting workplaces in the country. Uppsala University has 54,000 students, 7,600 employees, and a turnover of nearly 8 billion SEK.

We are seeking a PhD student to become part of our research team. Research will be conducted at the Günther Lab within the Human Evolution Program within the Department of Organismal Biology (Evolutionary Biology Center, Uppsala University, Sweden). The Günther group is specifically studying the prehistory of humans in Europe and the genomic history of animal domestication while developing and improving population genomic and bioinformatic methods to analyze palaeogenomic data, funded by research grants from Formas, Vetenskapsrådet and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. The Human Evolution program has extensive interests in population genetics and human evolution, providing numerous opportunities for collaboration with postdocs and PhD students working on related projects. The program is also part of the Center for the Human Past. Thee research environment is international, with English as the working language. For more information on the Human Evolution Program, visit: https://www.iob.uu.se/research/human-evolution and Torsten Günther’s group, visit https://www.gunther-lab.org

Duties

The PhD projects will be part of the groups existing lines of research. The student will analyze modern and ancient genomic data from humans and domestic animals to understand their demographic history, trace migrations and detect signatures of selection. The work consists of bioinformatic analysis using Uppsala University's computer cluster, implementing scripts and running population genetic software as well as programming and statistical analysis.

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• Hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in biology, bioinformatics or other orientation that the employer deems equivalent, or
• Have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• Have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

We are looking for a person with good knowledge and experience in bioinformatics and good knowledge of population genetics, with experience of working with palaeogenomics. Great importance to be placed on personal qualities such as:

• Good analytic skills, good collaboration and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and to drive projects based on personal initiatives.
• Good skills in organization and planning work and projects. Responsible.
• Good English writing (and speaking) skills.

Additional qualifications

Previous experience with large-scale genetic data analysis, statistics, bioinformatics, programming and implementation of bioinformatic pipelines is advantageous.

About the employment

The PhD student position is for four years. The position will be combined with teaching (up to 20%) that will extend the position with a corresponding amount of time. More information about postdraduate studies at Uppsala University is available at TEKNAT - postgraduate. Rules governing PhD studies are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance, chapter 5 §§1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines UU - rules and guidelines

Full time position. Starting date October 1st, 2026 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact:  Associate Prof Torsten Günther, +46184712697, torsten.gunther@ebc.uu.se

The application should include 1) a letter of intent describing yourself, your research interests and why you want to do a PhD, 2) a short description of your education, especially in population genetics/genomics, statistics, bioinformatics, and other related areas, 3) a CV, 4) a copy of your master degree diploma, 5) the names and contact information (address, email address and phone number) of at least two reference persons, 6) relevant publications (including master thesis).

Uppsala University aims for gender balance and diversity in all activities in order to achieve a higher quality at all levels of the organization. We therefore welcome applicants of any gender and with different birth background, functionality and life experience.

Please submit your application by 7 August 2026, UFV-PA 2026/1992.

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