Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.
The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of – a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably. In fact, the future is made here.
A fully funded, four-year PhD student position is immediately available in the Department of Clinical Microbiology at Umeå University. The position is open to computational scientists with an interest in single-cell metagenomic analysis. Applications will be accepted until December 11th, 2025.
About the position
Bioinformatic methods for single-cell metagenomic analysis
Single-cell metagenomic sequencing (scMetaG) can provide maximum-resolution insights into complex microbial communities. However, existing bioinformatic tools are not equipped to handle the massive amounts of data generated by novel high-throughput scMetaG methods. Here, the PhD student will develop novel bioinformatic methods and tools, which can be used to analyze massive amounts of scMetaG data.
In addition to being affiliated with the Department of Clinical Microbiology at Umeå University (https://www.umu.se/en/department-of-clinical-microbiology/), the student will be affiliated with the SciLifeLab and Wallenberg National Program for Data- Driven Life Science (DDLS; https://www.scilifelab.se/data-driven/), a 12-year initiative aimed at recruiting and training the next generation of data-driven life scientists..
The student will be further affiliated with the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS; https://www.mims.umu.se/); MIMS is a member of the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, which is dedicated to the growing field of life sciences that investigates the molecular basis of disease and explores molecularly and genetically based treatments.
Eligibility requirements
Applicants meet the basic eligibility requirements for doctoral studies if they have:
Completed a second-cycle (Master’s level) degree,
Fulfilled course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits (ECTS), of which at least 60 credits at second-cycle level,
Or otherwise acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad (Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 7, Section 39).
Applicants must:
Be proficient in at least one statically typed programming language.
Have substantial experience of developing software (e.g. projects with > 10k lines of code).
Have knowledge of hardware and operating system fundamentals, ideally with a focus on Linux
Be proficient in written and spoken English.
Be comfortable working in a diverse, inclusive, interdisciplinary, and highly collaborative environment.
Other qualifications
Applicants might have prior experience:
Computing in HPC environments
Programming in Rust
Analyzing single-cell data, particularly scMetaG data
In the biological sciences
Application
The application should include:
A cover letter, which outlines the applicant’s motivation behind applying for a position (1 page).
A curriculum vitae (CV), including a list of previous publications, theses, and/or software outputs (if applicable).
Copies of all Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree certificates, including documentation of completed academic courses and their grades.
Names and contact details for 2 references.
Applications are submitted electronically via Varbi. Documents should be in Word or PDF format. The deadline for applications is 2025-12-11
Salary placement follows the established salary scale for doctoral positions. According to the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 12, Section 2), decisions on employment cannot be appealed.
The position is fully funded for four years and starts immediately or as agreed. For more information, contact Laura Carroll (laura.carroll@umu.se).
Umeå University wants to offer an equal environment where open dialogue between people with different backgrounds and perspectives lay the foundation for learning, creativity and development. We welcome people with different backgrounds and experiences to apply for the current employment.
We kindly decline offers of recruitment and advertising help.
