Join our center as a PhD candidate in the Rosa Rademakers’ lab

 

The Rademakers team (Genetics of Frontotemporal Dementia) at the VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology, Belgium is seeking a highly motivated Ph.D. student to work on somatic variation as a potential cause of frontotemporal dementia using bioinformatic analysis and statistical evaluation of multiple omics datatypes. The Rademakers lab performs research on disease modeling, epigenetics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and short and long-read sequencing in Frontotemporal dementia and related dementias.

About the project

$ads={1}

Frontotemporal dementia is clinically characterized by language and behavioral impairment. About half of the individuals do not have a positive family history yet show remarkably similar symptoms with asymmetrical pathology found in the brain. Somatic variants in the brain are an attractive explanation based on these observations. In this genetics project, the candidate will investigate the role of somatic variation based on the most extensive collection of frontotemporal dementia patients with TDP-43 brain pathology gathered through international collaborations. This project will be performed with a combination of state-of-the-art short and long-read DNA and RNA sequencing methods, and an in-depth genetic and biostatistical analysis. The successful candidate will contribute to systematically evaluating this challenging type of variant.

Your profile

We seek a highly motivated, enthusiastic, critical, and creative individual to join our team. The candidate should have a strong interest in bioinformatics, biostatistics, and genetics, and experience in sequencing data analysis is considered an advantage.

Essential

• Master’s in biochemistry, biomedical sciences, bioinformatics, related disciplines or equivalent through experience
• Proficient in verbal and written English.
• Ability to summarize data extracted from literature and to define research objectives.
• Passion for science, self-motivation, flexibility, and team spirit

Desirable but not required

• Programming experience, preferably in Python or R
• Experience with data analysis and working in the Linux environment
• Experience with large-scale data from genomics and transcriptomics
• Experience with data analysis of short- and long-read sequencing and awareness of the biotechnological background
• Experience with a workflow management system such as Snakemake or Nextflow

We offer

• A versatile and challenging job in a vibrant world-class research environment operating at an international level
• State-of-the-art research facilities
• A dedicated training program to broaden your expertise and enhance your skill set
• A doctoral scholarship for a period of one year, with the possibility of renewal for a further three-year period after positive evaluations. During the doctoral scholarship, you are encouraged to obtain a personal fellowship (e.g. FWO, depending on eligibility).

Starting date: as soon as possible

Join us how to apply?

Submit your application through the VIB online application tool. Be sure to include:

• A detailed CV incl. a list of previous experience
• A letter of motivation explaining why you are interested in our work and aspire to this Ph.D. position
• The names and contact details of 3 references

For more information please contact [email protected]

For more information about our research center https://uantwerpen.vib.be/group/RosaRademakers

$ads={2}

 

.