PhD fellowship in statistical and evolutionary hologenomics at GLOBE Institute

We are offering a PhD fellowship in statistical and evolutionary hologenomics commencing 1 January 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Our group and research
The PhD candidate will be part of the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics (CEH), a DNRF funded center of excellence. Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, led by Prof. Tom Gilbert,  is a part of the GLOBE Institute at the University of Copenhagen, and aims to study how interactions between genes and microbes determine biological evolution. The center is composed of 9 Principal investigators (PIs) and their research groups, each with a diverse set of scientific expertise and research portfolio, spanning theoretical and applied population genomics, evolutionary genomics, statistical genetics, human disease, ancient DNA, domestication, and hologenomics. In addition to the PIs, the center has collaborations spanning research groups and institutes across both Europe and the rest of the world.

The applicant will be advised by Assoc. Prof. Shyam Gopalakrishnan at CEH, whose research group focuses developing and applying statsitical and population genetics methods to understand patterns of variation in host and microbiome genomes, and Assoc. Prof. Ida Moltke, at the Biological Institute, whose research group works with population and medical genetics to better understand the role of population processes on the role of genetics in the prevalence and distribution of various human phenotypes.

Project description
The primary research direction of the PhD candidate will be to develop models for the “neutral” evolution of hosts and their associated microbiomes. This research project will consist of several smaller tasks including 1. defining neutrality in the context of host-microbiome interactions, 2. developing a model to explain the changes in the composition of the microbiome over evolutionary time scales, given the phylogenetic relationships between the host organisms, 3. developing statistical tests for violation of the model, thus identifying “non-neutral” evolution and 4. connecting these models to the functional profiles of microbiomes. In addition to working on the theoretical aspects of modeling the evolution of host-microbiome interactions, the PhD candidate will also have access to a wide variety of host-microbiome interaction datasets, on which these models can be validated, and identify host-microbiome interactions that cannot be described just by neutral models.

Principal supervisor isAssociate Professor Shyam Gopalakrishnan, Section for Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, Email: [email protected] , Tel: 29700849

Start:                  1 January 2023

Duration:          3 years as a PhD student

Job description
Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND are:

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS points
• Participate in active research environments including a stay at another research team
• Obtain experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teach and disseminate your knowledge
• Write a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants
Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to a master’s degree related to the subject area of the project e.g. statistics, data science, evolutionary biology, population genetics, computational biology, bioinformatics, mathematics, or related areas. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a working proficiency in one or more programming languages commonly used in data science (e.g. experience in Python, R, C/C++, Java or Julia) and have experience in the UNIX operating environment.
Please note that your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years).

Other important criteria are:

• The grade point average achieved
• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Previous publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in genetics, mathematicsal modeling and bioinformatics
• Language skills

Place of employment
The place of employment is at GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories, ancient laboratories, sequencing facilities, and access to an in-house high performance computing cluster.

Terms of employment
The employment as PhD fellow is full time and for 3 years starting 1 January 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

It is conditioned upon the applicant’s successful enrolment as a PhD student at the Graduate School at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The PhD study must be completed in accordance with The Ministerial Order on the PhD programme (2013) and the Faculty’s rules on achieving the degree. Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, The monthly salary starts at approximately 28,400 DKK/Roughly 3,800 EUR (October 2022 level) plus pension.

Application
Your application in English should include:

• Letter of application addressing the requirements (max. one page).
• CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• Certified copy of original Master of Science diploma and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in other language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
  As a prerequisite for a PhD fellowship employment, your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find-assessments/assessment-database . Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.
  Applicants with a Master´s degree from abroad should also enclose a short description of the grading scale used
• Publication list (if possible)
• Other information to consider: References and recommendations (if possible)

Please submit your application by clicking on “Apply Now” below. Only online applications will be accepted.

Application deadline: 6 October 2022, 23.59pm CET
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the above-mentioned requirements.

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor.

The assessor makes a non-prioritized assessment of the academic qualifications and experience with respect to the above-mentioned area of research, techniques, skills and other requirements listed in the advertisement.
Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

Interviews are expected to be held in week 42/43.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position. 

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.