Postdoctoral researcher position in computational biomedicine is available at Turku Medical Bioinformatics Centre, University of Turku, Finland, for the period 1.6.2020-31.5.2021.

Description of recruiting organization

University of Turku is a world-class university, whose operations build on high-quality, multidisciplinary research. The active academic community involves ~20,000 students and ~3,400 staff members, offering an excellent research environment for international research and education. The postdoctoral researcher will become a member of the research group of Prof. Laura Elo, Head of Turku Medical Bioinformatics Centre at Turku Bioscience.

Turku Medical Bioinformatics Centre (https://elolab.utu.fi) involves ~30 members with various backgrounds in mathematics, statistics, bioinformatics, and computer science, who develop and apply computational data analysis tools and mathematical modelling methods for biomedical research. The eventual goal is to improve diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of complex diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. A specific focus is on analysing and interpreting data generated by modern high-throughput biotechnologies, such as next-generation sequencing and mass-spectrometry proteomics, together with other health data, such as electronic medical records, medical imaging, sensors and wearable devices, in close collaboration with leading experimental and clinical teams and unique biobanks.

Turku Bioscience (https://bioscience.fi/) provides high-end technologies and expertise to academic and industrial researchers and a stimulating multidisciplinary and international research environment.

Description of the position

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join the ERC project “DynaOmics” of Prof. Elo, which focuses on longitudinal modelling of proteome data with the ultimate goal to enable dynamic individualized diagnostics (http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/203223_en.html). Using multi-level longitudinal data and modern statistical and machine learning methods, the aim is to detect clinically feasible disease markers and build computational models that enable predicting the disease risk dynamically. A specific focus is on high-dimensional molecular and clinical data and early detection of Type 1 diabetes. The tasks include, for instance, dimension reduction, feature selection, clustering, discovery of disease subtypes, and prediction of disease onset. The position can involve both applied and methodological topics, depending on the candidate’s expertise and interests, and there is the opportunity to target the research according to candidate’s own research interests.

The position offers a vantage point in the rapidly developing area of biomedical data science, with versatile opportunities for networking with leading experts in the world. Our multicultural, dynamic and highly motivated team provides a working community that fosters creativity and diversity to enable groundbreaking discoveries. Meet our team here: https://elolab.utu.fi/people/.

The salary is determined by the collective agreement system of Finnish universities. The postdoctoral researcher belongs to research personnel and salary will be 3100 – 3600 eur/month on average. There is a trial period of six months.

Qualifications

A successful candidate has:

• PhD degree in biostatistics, bioinformatics, computational biology, computer science, applied mathematics, or a related field
• Relevant background knowledge in bioinformatics
• Previous experience in statistical data analysis and machine learning
• Fluency with at least one programming language (e.g. R, Python)
• Excellent communication skills in English (both oral and written)
• High level of motivation, self-initiative and independency

Application

The applications must be submitted at the latest on April 17, 2020 using the electronic system. The application should include a motivation letter (one page), CV (max 2 pages), list of publications, contact information for 2-3 referees, and copies of relevant degree certificates. A link to the electronic application system can be found at www.utu.fi/careers (Job ID 8998). For further information please contact bioinformatics-coordinator@utu.fi or +358 (0)29 450 3796.