Project title: Postdoctoral Fellowship in Bioinformatics – NCN Weave
Publication date: 25.06.2025
Closing date: 14.08.2025
Announcement date for the result of the competition: 22.09.2025
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 140 000 PLN of employer’s costs per annum
Supervisor:
Sano: Dr. Tomasz Kościółek
Project period: until Dec 2027
The position is funded from NCN Weave grant.
The Structural and Functional Genomics (SFG) team at Sano develops computational methods to extract actionable knowledge from human metagenomics data, with a particular focus on the gut microbiome. Our core mission is to provide excellence in microbiome bioinformatics to enable a transformation in healthcare. We achieve this by developing robust biomarkers, predictive models, and diagnostic tools designed for clinicians, biomedical researchers, and public health experts.
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 will provide life scientists a better understanding of gut microbiota metabolic phenotypes, helping to prioritize relevant proteins for experimental characterization and therapeutic exploration. We are working closely with Biozentrum, University of Basel (Switzerland); VIB.AI Center for AI and Computational Biology (Belgium); Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu (Estonia); Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University (Poland) as well as other excellent Polish and international partners, including industry.
What are you going to do?
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 the development of function-based metagenomics approaches;
- work on genomic contexts of dark metagenomic proteins;
- contribute to the development of microbiome digital twins;
- support other Team members working on human gut microbial protein function atlas from sequence, structure and contexts;
What do we require?
Required background and skills of the candidate:
- recent or pending PhD (in bioinformatics, biological sciences, 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);
- an excellent understanding of biological function on a gene, protein and systems levels;
- good working understanding of metagenomics data;
- good understanding of different functional ontologies;
- experience in pipelines and tools used in metagenomics data processing;
- some experience in bioinformatics research;
- interest in metagenomics and microbiome research.
Our offer
We offer a fixed-term contract for 40 hours per week. 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 140 000 PLN of employer’s costs, based on a full-time contract (40 hours a week) 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.
Questions?
Do you have questions about this vacancy? Or do you want to know more about our organisation? Please contact us at m.golabek@sanoscience.org or m.madura@sanoscience.org.
About Sano
Sano Centre for Computational Medicine is an 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.
Established with support from the European Commission and the Foundation for Polish Science, Sano aims to be a major driving force behind the advancement of computational medicine for the benefit of healthcare systems worldwide.
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 center on a global level.
As a cross-disciplinary institution, Sano uses machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI), large scale computer simulations, 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.
Job application
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;
The recruitment process is conducted in accordance with regulations of NCN available here: https://www.ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/uchwaly-rady/2022/uchwala99_2022-zal1.pdf
Apply: