Lund University, Department of experimental medical science

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 47 000 students and more than 8 800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Description of the workplace

Professor Vasili Hauryliuk is the principal investigator of the Molecular Enzymology research group at the Department of Experimental Medical Science at Lund University. His research group focuses on the structural and functional characterization of the molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial anti-phage defence systems.

Project description

Bacteria are constantly attacked by viruses known as bacteriophages. To withstand these attacks, bacteria employ a wide variety of anti-phage defense systems, the most well-known being CRISPR–Cas. In our laboratory, we discover new systems using bioinformatics, validate them through microbiological assays, and subsequently characterize the defense mechanisms at the molecular level. In this project, you will carry out a large-scale survey of anti-phage defense systems encoded in bacterial genomes. In collaboration with experimental researchers in the Hauryliuk lab, the bioinformatic discoveries will be tested experimentally.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority, which means you receive special benefits, generous vacation, and a favourable occupational pension. Read more on the university’s website about being an employee at Lunds University, Work with us.

Work duties and areas of responsibility

Employment as a bioinformatician is intended as an initial step in a research career and as an opportunity to further deepen and broaden research expertise. Your tasks will be: bioinformatic survey and classification of antiphage defences encoded in bacterial genomes, creation and maintenance of web-based portals hosting the results of your analysis, collaboration with experimentalists who will be testing your prediction in the lab. 

Qualifications

Requirements for the position include:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an engineering or natural sciences discipline, such as engineering or bioinformatics.
• Expertise in the key approaches to be used in this interdisciplinary project, including:

i) very strong programming skills in Python,

ii) very strong skills in the design and implementation of web-based interfaces with queuing systems, and

iii) very good familiarity with the Swedish national computing infrastructure.

• A publication record in international peer-reviewed journals.
• Knowledge of phage biology, with a particular focus on anti-phage defense systems.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Great emphasis will be placed on personal qualities. The position requires that you are well organized in your work and able to work independently.

Meritorious for the position:

• Familiarity with experimental techniques such as molecular cloning, phage isolation, and assays of anti-phage defense systems.