Data-intensive microbiome research critically relies on the open development, benchmarking, and application of computational methods from sequence-level analyses to downstream ecological and epidemiological modeling. This project will focus on the design of new computational strategies and open data science techniques for the integration, analysis and modeling of deeply sequenced fecal microbiomes in the context of population health research. Population studies of the human microbiome can elucidate the mediating role of microbiomes between e.g. cardiovascular disease risk or brain health, demographics and lifestyle. 

Our track record includes the development of widely used statistical and machine learning techniques and open data science methods for microbiome studies. We carry out methodologically oriented research on metagenome-profiled population cohorts that cover the entire life span and three generations of families, complemented by long follow-up times, detailed population register data, host phenotyping, and complementary omics from over ten thousand volunteers. The work is supported by close collaboration and networking opportunities with local and international experts in computational science, statistical ecology, and microbiome research. The balance between methods development and application can be adjusted based on the applicant’s interests and expertise. 

In our group, we appreciate scientists with a PhD in a relevant computationally oriented field, or from application field with a strong methodological focus, a solid publication track record and experience in designing computational methods and workflows. Also, we cherish a multidisciplinary mindset, familiarity with command line, and fluency in at least one open data science language (e.g. R/Bioconductor, Python, Julia), which are essential tools in our group. Experience in probabilistic methods, high-performance computing environments, and open research software development are beneficial. Also, we work both independently and as a team with good communication and interpersonal skills. Good English is our spoken as well as scientific writing language.