Postdoctoral Fellowship in Bioinformatics – NCN Weave

Sano Centre for Computational Medicine is a new International Scientific Foundation located in Kraków, Poland.

Sano aspires to be a major translational scientific institute, operating at the meeting point of academic science, established MedTech industry, and emerging start-up environment, combining the best of these three perspectives.

Sano acts as a core technology and expertise provider for industry, and creator of innovation, developing state-of-the-art solutions for healthcare. Thanks to the substantial funding and excellent European partnership network, Sano will bring a critical mass to this transformational field of research, in order to translate scientific advancements onto clinical practice. Sano’s ambition is to become the Reference Centre for Computational Medicine in Central Europe and build a reputation as a leading institute on a global level.

As a cross-disciplinary institution, Sano uses machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI), large scale computer simulations (HPC), data science, and other computational technologies towards overcoming global challenges in healthcare systems. The research agenda will be executed in close collaboration with Partners in Poland, EU and USA.

• Project title: Postdoctoral Fellowship in Bioinformatics – NCN Weave 
• Publication date: 8.12.2023 
• Closing date: 17.12.2023 
• Announcement date for the result of the competition: 22.12.2023 
• Level of education: PhD with no more than 7 years of postdoctoral experience (in case of candidates who previously were on a maternity leave, this period is prolonged by 18 months per child) 
• Hours: 40 hours per week 
• Salary indication: up to 9677 PLN gross monthly 
• Supervisor: Sano: Dr. Tomasz Kościółek 
• Project period: Jan 2024 – Dec 2027 

The position is funded from NCN Weave grant. 

Thanks to over a decade of metagenomics efforts, we have a catalogue of over 170 million unique putative proteins from the human gut microbiome. About 40% of these do not have function assigned (dark proteins), hence limiting our understanding of the well-established relationship between the gut microbiome and human health. Following up on these developments, our objective is to construct an integrative view of putative molecular functions and biological roles of proteins from the human gut microbiome by combining deep learning-driven, structure-based function prediction with a large-scale view of the protein universe. 

Our large-scale and integrative approach to map and interpret all human gut microbiome proteins, especially those that are difficult to annotate and are thus functionally dark, will lay the groundwork for efficient metagenomic-scale use of this source of biological information. It will provide life scientists a better understanding of gut microbiota metabolic phenotypes, helping to prioritize relevant proteins for experimental characterization and therapeutic exploration.

Required background and skills of the candidate: 

• recent or pending PhD (in computer science/bioinformatics or related field), no more than 7 years of postdoctoral experience (between obtaining the PhD and the application for the job, in case of candidates who previously were on a maternity leave, this period is prolonged by 18 months per child); 
• experience in structural bioinformatics; 
• experience in programming (esp. Python);  
• documented experience in bioinformatics research; 
• experience in protein structure prediction;  
• interest in deep learning techniques; 
• interest in microbiome research. 

You are expected to: 

• do original research under the direction of one of the Research Group Leaders; 
• publish your work in peer-review journals and present during national and international conferences; 
• co-mentor junior scientists – PhD students and MSc students; 

• work on representative human gut microbiome protein structures atlas; 
• work on predictions of orphan sequences; 
• assistance in work on molecular mimicry and on protein family-function relationships; 
• work on ranking of connected components; 
• work on human gut microbial protein function atlas from sequence, structure and contexts. 

We offer a fixed-term contract for 40 hours per week. The first contract is signed for a 3-month trial period, then it is followed by a fixed-term contract for 12 months and another contract for the remainder of the project (or for an indefinite period). This will be supported by an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. The contract will include opportunities to participate in teaching and supervision of undergraduate and master students.  

The salary, depending on relevant experience before the beginning of the employment contract, will be up to 9677 PLN gross per month, based on a full-time contract (40 hours a week) for the duration of up to 2 years with private medical care and a sports card. 

Sano offers excellent opportunities for study and development, an access to many international conferences on computational medicine and a possibility to grow in a scientific society. 

Sano is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity. 

Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application. 

Applications in .pdf should include: 

• a cover letter; 
• a curriculum vitae;