Job Description
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently operates 76 institutes and research units throughout Germany and is a leading applied research organization. Around 32 000 employees work with an annual research budget of 3.4 billion euros.
A new working group in the field of clinical microbiome research currently being established at the Fraunhofer-Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP in Frankfurt am Main. This group encompasses a research platform focused on the development of microbiota-based therapies. Within this group, the bioinformatic analysis of data sets and, in particular, the development of prediction models for complex microbial communities and their interactions will play a central role. Accordingly, we are looking for a bioinformatician as a postdoc to support our interdisciplinary team.
Microbiome analysis and integration of -omics and clinical data
- Fusion and integration of -omics data with clinical data
- Complementary metagenomic analysis of existing samples from biobanks and collections
- Execution of statistical and bioinformatic analyses of complex data sets in a medical context
Development of new bioinformatic tools and analysis strategies
- Application of established bioinformatics tools and solutions, including those for predicting nutrient competition among microorganisms and other mechanisms of colonization resistance
- Development of new analysis strategies, tools, and predictive models to support the group's objectives
- Validation and benchmarking of these tools and models using various data sets
- Application of the developed solutions to identify potential Live Biotherapeutic Products (LBPs)
Support of the working group
- Organization and management of data from microbiome studies, including quality assurance and data preparation
- Documentation, visualization and publication of research findings in scientific journals as well as presentation in lectures and conferences
- Assistance in securing third-party funding and preparation of grant proposals for clinical studies
- A scientific degree in bioinformatics, biology, or a comparable field and a completed PhD or (at the time of application) submitted PhD, ideally with a strong focus on health sciences
- Solid knowledge of programming languages such as Python, R and Bash; additional experience with high-performance computing (HPC) is an advantage
- Experience in analyzing of sequence data (e.g., tools like QIIME2, MetaPhlAn, Kraken or HUMAnN) and proficiency with MS Office
- Understanding of microbiological or molecular biological fundamentals
- Interest in the human microbiome and clinical research
- Advantageous: Experience in project and data management
- Good command of German and English (spoken and written)
- A high level of initiative and team spirit
- Opportunity for scientific work in a highly innovative and patient-relevant topic
- Integration into a competent, friendly, and committed team
- A collegial work atmosphere and the freedom to implement your own ideas
- Flexible working hours (flexitime model), remote work options, as well as various support measures to balance private life and career
- Excellent professional and personal development, opportunities through a variety of internal training programs
- 30 days paid annual leave, plus Christmas and New Year's Eve as company holidays
- Personal retirement benefits (VBL) and additional (social) benefits of public service, such as annual special payment
- Capital-forming benefits
- Subsidies for public transport (Deutschlandticket)
- Corporate benefits: offers from well-known manufacturers and brands
- Access to the extensive Fraunhofer network