Postdoc Bioinformatics - NIOO-KNAW - Wageningen

Are you a dedicated bioinformatician with a passion for meta-analyses, molecular biology and natural product discovery? In a joint project between the Department of Microbial Ecology at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) and the Bioinformatics department of the Wageningen Microbiome Centre, we are looking for a bioinformatician who will design a database to catalogue and analyse a large bacterial culture collection to discover new microbial gene clusters and functional traits.

Microbial culture collections serve as an enormously valuable resource for fundamental scientific research, natural product discovery, and the development of sustainable strategies for plant protection against (a)biotic stresses. We have recently acquired a large collection of bacterial strains and associated metadata, including genome sequences and phenotypic data. The overall goal of this 2-year postdoc position is to catalogue and enable this collection and the metadata as an accessible global public database for scientific research. This project is part of a larger research initiative between NIOO-KNAW and the Wageningen Microbiome Centre, which will provide ample opportunities for collaboration.

In this position, you will design a database to catalogue and analyse a large bacterial culture collection to discover new microbial gene clusters and functional traits. You will be responsible for:

• Catalogue and integrate the curated bacterial collection and associated metadata in a dedicated database to make the collection and metadata FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, re-usable) and available for automated querying.
• Mine the genomes and metadata of the collection by diverse bioinformatic tools and pipelines (e.g., MIBiG, antiSMASH, dbCAN, bacLife, …) and perform multivariate statistics and machine learning to connect genomic traits to biological activities.
• Supervise/mentor MSc and PhD students as well as the research assistant appointed on this project.
• Report and publish obtained results from the bioinformatic analyses.

You bring experience in:

• bioinformatics, computer science or a related discipline
• machine learning algorithms and multivariate statistics
• database design and management
• initiating collaborations
• supervision/mentoring of PhD/MSc students and research assistants

A self-reliant and proactive team player who works accurately, can plan efficiently, can take the lead in project management, can initiate collaborations with colleagues at NIOO and WMC, and enjoys working together in a diverse and multidisciplinary team. Do you recognize yourself in this profile? Strengthen our team!

Please contact Jos Raaijmakers: J.Raaijmakers@nioo.knaw.nl

Depending on education and experience the minimum salary is €3,546 and the maximum salary is €5,538 gross per month for a full-time appointment (scale 10 cao Nederlandse Universiteiten/KNAW). This is exclusive of 8% vacation allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance and pension accrual with ABP.

The KNAW considers a working environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated of great importance. A working environment in which attention is paid to individual quality and where development opportunities are paramount. Together we strive for an inclusive culture in which we embrace differences. We would therefore like to invite candidates who want to contribute to this through their background and experience. In the event of equal suitability, preference will be given to the candidate who thus enhances diversity within the Academy.

We will not respond to any supplier enquiries based on this job advertisement.