The group of Dr. Daniel Todt in the Department of Molecular & Medical Virology at the Ruhr University Bochum is seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD student (w/m/d) for our new BMBF-funded (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) research group in Computational Virology. The position (TV-L E13 – 75%) is initially limited to three years.
Our group combines strong expertise in RNA virus biology and bioinformatics. We study virus-host interactions of hepatotrophic viruses, mainly hepatitis E virus (HEV), using -omics data sets. We aim to identify viral mutations associated with treatment failure and understand differential immune responses in patients suffering from chronic or acute HEV infections. Furthermore, we apply machine learning algorithms to identify viral signatures in large transcriptomic datasets.
Besides well established Illumina-based protocols, we are currently establishing Oxford Nanopore Sequencing and plan to set-up single cell RNA sequencing in our faculty.
Your tasks:
- implementation of bioinformatics tools and pipelines to analyze high throughput sequencing data (HTS) in infection biology, both individual and in a team,
- design and coordination of HTS experiments to address scientific questions in RNA virus-host interactions,
- independent development of deep learning algorithms to identify virus sequence snippets in HTS data,
- supervision of Bachelor and Master students.
To complement our research team, we are seeking a highly motivated doctoral candidate. Main projects handled by the successful applicant will include evaluation of RNAseq data sets, both bulk and single cell, as well as virus population analyses based on amplicon sequencing data using bioinformatic tools. Moreover, deep learning methods will be implemented to identify RNA viral sequence snippets in large transcritpome data sets of transplant patients. In addition, the candidate will be involved in all aspects of the new group, including supervision of Bachelor and Master students.
Your profile:
- a Masters degree (or equivalent) in bioinformatics, biology or related field,
- profound knowledge and understanding of virology and cell biology,
- solid experience in state-of-the-art sequencing techniques,
- knowledge in handling of bioinformatic pipelines and basics of script languages is advantageous,
- ideally, previous application of machine learning algorithms,
- interest in working in an international and interdisciplinary environment,
- fluency in written and spoken English language is mandatory.
We are looking forward to receiving your application with the specification ANR: 1706 until 10/04/2023, send by e-mail to the following address: computational-virology@ruhr-uni-bochum.de