Postdoctoral Researcher in Bioinformatics for the Dog Genome Annotation Project

Karolinska Institutet

Application deadline

March 23, 2022



Postdoctoral Researcher in Bioinformatics for the Dog Genome Annotation Project

The Department of Biosciences and Nutrition performs research and education in several areas of medical science including aging, Alzheimer, biomaterial, molecular endocrinology, cancer biology, functional genomics, systems biology, epigenetics, structural biochemistry, bioorganic chemistry, immunology, and nutrition. It offers an excellent international research and working environment, including around 250 scientists, students, administrative and technical personnel. The Department resides in Neo at Campus Flemingsberg, a biomedical research building, aimed at being a creative and open environment that enables meetings, synergies, and exploration of areas of mutual interest across disciplines.

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Find out together with us how brain region-specific gene regulatory elements determine behavioral differences between different dog breads and wolfs, and how these differences might be related to human psychiatric conditions. 

Your mission

In a collaborative effort across various research groups, you will identify gene regulatory elements such as enhancers and gene promoters in dog and wolf genomes based on the most comprehensive RNA sequencing-based expression atlas generated by the Dog Genome Annotation Consortium. You will connect gene regulation differences to behavioral and phenotypic differences across dog breads and to wolfs. You will further cross-reference human and dog genetic variants to the identified gene regulatory elements.

The setting

The Daublab is a research group at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm using clinical samples, high throughput sequencing and bioinformatics methods to understand the gene regulatory events underlying basic biological processes and to understand how these processes are dysregulated in diseases (https://ki.se/en/bionut/molecular-basis-of-gene-regulation-of-diseases-carsten-daub and https://www.daublab.org/ . We have extensive collaborations with clinical research groups from the Karolinska Hospitals allowing us to focus our work on human health based on human clinical samples.

The Dog Genome Annotation Project generates the most comprehensive functional information source of the dog genome to facilitate the highest resolution disease gene mappings not possible with the current reference data. This new genomic resource will become publicly available and serve the international research community to better understand the molecular backgrounds of disease, morphology and behavior for more efficient treatment scenarios. This project utilizes the new genome annotation to identify risk variants for common brain disorders such as epilepsy, anxiety and neurodegeneration and to understand variable expression patterns in different parts of the dogs’ and wolves’ brains.

Your profile

Qualified to be employed as a postdoctor is one who has obtained a doctorate or has equivalent scientific competence. It is considered as an advantage if you have completed your doctoral degree within the last three years, if there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier. Applicants who have not completed a doctorate at the end of the application period may also apply, provided that all requirements for a completed degree are met before the (intended) date of employment. This must be substantiated by the applicant’s main supervisor, director or equivalent.

You have a PhD in bioinformatics, computer sciences, computational biology or equivalent experiences. You are highly proficient in data analysis using R and/ or Python in a Linux environment. You have good statistical knowledge and experience working with high-throughput sequencing data. You are highly self-motivated, productive and like to work in an interdisciplinary research team.

What do we offer?

Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s leading medical universities. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote better health for all. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct innovative medical research and provide the largest range of biomedical education in Sweden. Karolinska Institutet is a state university, which entitles employees to several benefits such as extended holiday and a generous occupational pension. Employees also have free access to our modern gym and receive reimbursements for medical care.

Location: Flemingsberg

Last updated: 2022-02-25

Content Responsible: David Gotthold(david.gotthold@scilifelab.se)