Reference: 388_25_LS_CG_R2
Job title: Postdoctoral Researcher for Comparative Genomics (R2)

About BSC

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe. The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries.

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We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured.

We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences.

If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.

Context And Mission

The Comparative Genomics group, led by ICREA professor Toni Gabaldón, is looking for a Postdoctoral researcher to work in the context of genomics projects developed within the group (see https://cgenomics.org/)

These projects involve analysing population genomics or comparative genomics data across species to understand the origin of relevant phenotypes. For this the group uses state of the art bioinformatics, statistics and artificial intelligence methods. Areas of studies include, among others, origin an adaptation of fungal pathogens, tracing domestication and finding genetic basis of agronomic-relevant traits in the olive tree, or understanding the complex relationships between the human microbiome and certain diseases. The role of the postdoctoral candidate will be to contribute to the various projects, contributing analysis and ideas to help address the project aims. In this context, we are looking for a motivated candidate with expertise in comparative genomics and bioinformatics to analyze public and project-generated sequencing data to disentangle genotype-phenotype relationships, and trace relevant evolutionary processes. The candidate will collaborate with other researchers in the Comparative Genomics Group of the Life Sciences Department and other research groups at the BSC and IRB. The work is in the framework of the research lines of the group The Life Sciences Department at the BSC integrates the independent research of senior scientists that work on various aspects of computational biology, ranging from bioinformatics for genomics to computational biochemistry and text mining. The Comparative genomics group (http://cgenomics.org), which is jointly affiliated with the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), is involved in multiple projects covering a wide range of topics, including evolutionary and comparative genomics, phylogenomics, and metagenomics.

The Researcher will work in a highly sophisticated HPC environment, will have access to state-of-the-art systems and computational infrastructures, and will establish collaborations with experts in different areas both at international and local levels, in particular. The Researcher’s tasks will involve applying state-of-the-art methods for the reconstruction of evolutionary processes and the discovery of relevant associations.

Key Duties

Development and application of state-of-the-art computational analysis methods.
Contribute and help advance diverse scientific projects.
Explore novel applications for the analysis of genomics data, including the development of novel computational tools and approaches.
Preparation and presentation of scientific articles and presentations.
Collaborate in the preparation and presentation of scientific projects.
Establish and maintain collaborations with national and international researchers.


Requirements

Education
Doctoral degree in a topic related to comparative and evolutionary genomics (or equivalent).
Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience
Experience in bioinformatics and evolutionary analysis.
Familiarity with machine learning approaches.
Programming: Python or R.
Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience
Knowledge and experience in next-generation sequencing data.
Knowledge and experience comparative genomics.
Use of HPC cluster.
Fluency in spoken and written English.
Competences
Capacity to explore new research lines.
Good communication and presentation skills.
Ability to work both independently and within a team.


Conditions

The position will be located at BSC within the Life Sciences Department
We offer a full-time contract (37.5h/week), a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, support to the relocation procedures
Duration: Open-ended contract due to technical and scientific activities linked to the project and budget duration
Holidays: 23 paid vacation days plus 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement
Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona
Starting date: asap


Applications procedure and process

All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and contain:

A full CV in English including contact details
A cover/motivation letter with a statement of interest in English, clearly specifying for which specific area and topics the applicant wishes to be considered. Additionally, two references for further contacts must be included. Applications without this document will not be considered.



Development of the recruitment process


The selection will be carried out through a competitive examination system ("Concurso-Oposición"). The recruitment process consists of two phases:

Curriculum Analysis: Evaluation of previous experience and/or scientific history, degree, training, and other professional information relevant to the position. - 40 points
Interview phase: The highest-rated candidates at the curriculum level will be invited to the interview phase, conducted by the corresponding department and Human Resources. In this phase, technical competencies, knowledge, skills, and professional experience related to the position, as well as the required personal competencies, will be evaluated. - 60 points. A minimum of 30 points out of 60 must be obtained to be eligible for the position.




The recruitment panel will be composed of at least three people, ensuring at least 25% representation of women.


In accordance with OTM-R principles, a gender-balanced recruitment panel is formed for each vacancy at the beginning of the process. After reviewing the content of the applications, the panel will begin the interviews, with at least one technical and one administrative interview. At a minimum, a personality questionnaire as well as a technical exercise will be conducted during the process.


The panel will make a final decision, and all individuals who participated in the interview phase will receive feedback with details on the acceptance or rejection of their profile.



At BSC, we seek continuous improvement in our recruitment processes. For any suggestions or comments/complaints about our recruitment processes, please contact recruitment@bsc.es.
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Deadline

The vacancy will remain open until a suitable candidate has been hired. Applications will be regularly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted.

OTM-R principles for selection processes

BSC-CNS is committed to the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers of the European Commission and the Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment principles (OTM-R). This is applied for any potential candidate in all our processes, for example by creating gender-balanced recruitment panels and recognizing career breaks etc.
BSC-CNS is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by applicable state or local law.
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