The Friedrich Schiller University Jena is a dynamic and innovation-driven university centrally located in Germany. With a broad range of disciplines, it shapes the future through excellent research and teaching. Its scientific excellence is reflected in the profile lines Light – Life – Liberty, which provide pioneering insights and sustainable solutions for the society of tomorrow. Through close collaborations with leading research institutions, innovative companies, and renowned cultural organizations, it advances interdisciplinary developments. With around 17,000 students and approximately 10,000 employees, it defines Jena as a vibrant, internationally connected city of science and innovation.

The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, specifically the Institute of Computer Science, is seeking to fill the position of a

Postdoctoral Researcher Position in the field of Bioinformatics for database integration of (meta)genomics virus data

at the earliest possible date.
We offer a full-time position (40 hours per week) for one year.

Join our virus database team within the NFDI4Microbiota consortium (https://www.nfdi4microbiota.de) as a bioinformatician with a focus on data integration and pipeline development. If you believe in organizing today’s knowledge to improve tomorrow’s virus research, are driven by scientific curiosity and work best in a team, we encourage you to apply and help us advance FAIR and Open virus research infrastructure. This position is situated in a collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment where your contributions can advance the field.

Your responsibilities:

• Create, integrate and maintain data ingestion, curation and bioinformatics pipelines together with the database development team
• Port virus bioinformatics tools to the nextflow workflow language
• Help develop web-integrated visualizations and summaries to enable researchers to gain scientific insights from virus -omics datasets
• Help teach graduate workshops in bioinformatics, computational biology, and related subjects
• Write and contribute to publications
• Stay current with advancements in new methodologies

Your profile:

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Computational Biology, Microbial Ecology, Microbial Biotechnology, Data Science or a closely related field or with equivalent work experience. Candidates in the final stages of obtaining their degree are eligible to apply.
• Excellent bioinformatics skills in handling (meta)-omics datasets and experience using INSDC repositories
• Experience with databases and full-stack development including using APIs
• Proficiency in at least two programming languages (Python, C++/Java, SQL, R) and demonstrated knowledge of workflow languages (nextflow)
• Experience with high performance clusters, cloud environments, version-control tools (github) and best coding practices
• Experience with virus research, data curation, open science and/or research data management or interest in learning about these topics
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (both written and spoken) in English; German and other languages are a plus
• Prior teaching or mentoring experience are a plus

We offer:

• Remuneration based on the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal States (TV-L) at salary scale E13 — depending on the candidate’s personal qualifications — including a special annual payment in accordance with the collective agreement.
• Independent work with one of the largest employers in Thuringia/exciting and varied fields with creative freedom and personal development offers.
• Flexible working hours (flexitime and, when applicable, home office).
• A family-friendly working environment with a variety of offers for families: University Family Office ‘JUniFamilie’ and flexible childcare (‘JUniKinder’).
• University health promotion and a wide range of university sports activities.
• Attractive fringe benefits, e.g. capital formation benefits (VL) and an occupational pension (VBL).
• 30 days of vacation per calendar year plus two days off on December 24 and 31

This position is initially funded for one year (full-time position, 40 hours per week), with a possibility of extension. We encourage applicants to apply with the understanding that while the initial funding period is one year, there is potential for continued employment contingent on additional funding. A part-time contract can be discussed.

Candidates with severe disabilities will be given preference in the case of equal qualifications and suitability.

Are you eager to work with us? Then apply by 22.05.2025 using our online form.