The Center for Molecular Prediction of Inflammatory Bowel Disease(PREDICT) is looking for appointing a talented PhD student to conduct research at the intersection of the medical and data sciences. Jointly supervised by Associate Professor Kristine Allin and Aleksejs Sazonovs. The PhD student will work on combining unique Danish healthcare and demographic registry data with the omics data generated by PREDICT, chiefly the currently available genomics data for around~10,000(and growing) patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).

The PhD student will join our international and interdisciplinary group of dedicated researchers at PREDICT, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, at the beautiful Copenhagen South Harbour campus.

About the Center for Molecular Prediction of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, PREDICT
The purpose of PREDICT is to study the causes and prognosis of IBD which is a group of chronic and disabling diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. PREDICT is a diverse, interdisciplinary center with a central campus in Copenhagen. Principal investigators include clinicians, basic scientists, data scientists, and epidemiologists. In addition to national partnerships, PREDICT has strong collaborations with leading international institutions in the field.

Job Description
The first 15 years of genetic association studies(GWAS) have concentrated on disease susceptibility in order to uncover genes that can be used as drug targets. More recently, the availability of rich, longitudinal phenotypic data from national registries and electronic health records has allowed us to go further in terms of questions that these studies can answer: what role does genetics play in drug response, disease severity, and progression? In addition, the availability of scalable and reproducible multi-omics has greatly improved our ability to interrogate biological subphenotypes.

We are looking for a candidate with a passion to drive this next generation of genomics and epidemiological studies. From understanding how environmental and heritable factors in a family tree of over 6 million Danes affect disease risk, to using machine learning on genetic and phenotypic data to define clusters of patients with different disease presentations– the PhD student will have a real chance to improve our understanding of IBD and other immune-mediated diseases.

The Danish registry data gives us a unique opportunity to understand the tapestry of life of tens of thousands of IBD patients, both before, at and after the diagnosis. While the project will concentrate on Danish data, we work in close collaboration with colleagues in the US, UK, Belgium, and beyond. The student will have an opportunity to collaborate with international colleagues, both driving projects and contributing to these.

• The ideal candidate will have a Master's degree in science(e.g., mathematics, physics, computer science, etc.), a strong background in data science, statistics, or machine learning, and an interest in biomedicine. Alternatively, a candidate with a biomedical background with some demonstrable analytical experience can be considered. Previous work in IBD is not required, though some interest is encouraged.
• Confidence in using at least one scripting programming language(e.g., Python, R, etc.) is essential. Knowledge of the data science package ecosystem and modern scientific computing practices is desirable.
• Professional writing and communication skills in English. Students are expected to publish their work in international journals and present it at conferences. The office language is English; there is an opportunity to study and practice Danish.

You may obtain further information from Kristine Højgaard Allin, email:allin@dcm.aau.dk orAleksejs Sazonovs, email:alesaz@dcm.aau.dk concerning the scientific aspects of the stipend.

PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master's degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Doctoral School in Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1039 of August 27, 2013 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time.

Shortlisting will be applied. This means that subsequent to the deadline for applications the head of department supported by the chair of the assessment committee will select candidates for assessment. All applicants will be informed whether they will be assessed or not.

For further information about stipends and salary as well as practical issues concerning the application procedure contact Ms. Ruth Klitte, The Doctoral School at The Faculty of Medicine, email:rk@adm.aau.dk.

For more information of the The Doctoral School in Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology:
https://www.phd.aau.dk/health 

The application is only to be submitted online by using the"Apply online" button below.

AAU wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background or belief.

Wages and employment

Ref number

23-24019

Deadline

01.05.2024