Two positions in Genome Bioinformatics
Two positions at the PhD/Master student and postdoc level are available for developing new algorithms and strategies for analysis of second- and third-generation sequencing data, and for using these data to study a wide array of biological questions, with an emphasis on genome assemblies, annotation and genome comparisons. Initial appointments for PhD students and postdocs will normally be for three years. The positions are available immediately.
Candidates will have demonstrated experience in sequence and genome analyses, with at least some knowledge of primary short read analysis and genome/transcriptome annotation. Proven skills in at least one major programming or scripting language (PERL/PYTHON, Java, C/C++) and Linux/Unix computing environment (Bourne/Bash shell scripting) are a must. Good understanding of molecular biology, experience with assemblies and familiarity with biostatistics including knowledge of R are a plus.
The lab comprises a mix of computational scientists, biologists with strong bioinformatics skills and molecular biologists. It provides unique opportunities, as the lab is not only very well funded, but bioinformaticians are also involved in designing genomic analyses from day one, and often propose their own project ideas. Our work in this and other areas routinely results in high-profile publications, making it an extraordinary place for talented and ambitious students and postdocs.
The lab has been an early adopter of next generation sequencing technologies and has used these for diverse applications, from studying de novo mutations and epimutations to being the first to fine-map and identify a causal mutation using bulk segregant sequencing (Schneeberger et al., Nature Methods 2009; Ossowski et al., Science 2010; Becker et al., Nature 2011). A major effort is in understanding within- and between-species sequence variation, using both resequencing and de novo assembly strategies (Cao et al., Nature Genetics 2011; Hu et al., Nature Genetics 2011; Slotte et al., Nature Genetics 2013). A flagship project is the 1001 Genomes project for Arabidopsis thaliana (http://1001genomes.org). In this area, we have already gathered experience with PacBio data and will have early access to nanopore sequencing.
We are working closely with other groups that are primarily informatically oriented. These include Daniel Huson (Univ. Tuebingen), Bernhard Schölkopf (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tuebingen) and Karsten Borgwardt (currently Max Planck, soon ETH Zurich/Basel). Additional information on the group, the institute, and Tuebingen can be found on our website (http://weigelworld.org).
For Master and PhD students, we expect that you can provide at least two letters of reference and that you describe in detail your practical programming experience.
For postdocs, we expect that you have published (or are close to publishing) at least one first-author paper in a major international journal. Please send a letter that outlines which projects you are particularly interested in.
For both graduates students and postdocs, we hope to see a cover letter that details how your experience and interest would fit with the projects outlined above.
Please send applications, with a statement of purpose, names of references, and the subject line <bioinformatics posting> to Detlef Weigel: weigel@tue.mpg.de