Metagenomes are complex datasets that contain genomic information from bacteria, viruses, and other microbial organisms. Laboratories around the world are generating tens of thousands of these datasets with high-throughput DNA sequencing machines, providing an unprecedented picture of the microbial world we live in. We are just beginning to understand the many interactions taking place in this global microbiome. In the role of Bioinformatician/Data Steward Metagenomics, you will strengthen the metagenomics research at Utrecht University by developing and maintaining pipelines for downloading and analysing genomic and metagenomic datasets from public repositories. You will play an important role in our team and contribute to answering diverse research questions related to the microbiome, such as predicting bacteriophage-host interactions, identifying growth-stimulating bacteria for agriculture, and understanding the role of bacteria in diseases such as colorectal cancer. For an example of our scientific work based on metagenomic data analysis, see Dutilh et al. (2014), "A highly abundant bacteriophage discovered in the unknown sequences of human faecal metagenomes", Nature Communications 5: 4498 (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5498).

To excel in this role, you have the following profile:

• a BSc or MSc in bioinformatics;
• excellent computer programming skills (Python, R, Bash);
• experience with workflows (Snakemake, GUIX);
• experience with HPC cluster;
• experience with research data management;
• excellent communication skills in English.

• embedding within a great academic research team;
• a part-time position (0.8 fte) for 5 years, full time appointment can be discussed;
• the gross salary ranges from a minimum of €2,325 to a maximum of 3,895 per month during the appointment (scale 7, 8 or 9 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities). The salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% per year;
• pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions (based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities).

In addition to the employment conditions laid down in the CAO for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. For example, there are agreements on professional development, leave arrangements and sports. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment yourself via the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we like to encourage you to continue to grow. More information about working at the Faculty of Science can be found here. 

You will join the Utrecht University Metagenomics Group (MGX), an inter-disciplinary and international team using bioinformatic data analysis and computational modelling to investigate the fundamental principles that shape microbiomes. MGX is located in the Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics group which focuses on using computational methods to address biological questions. MGX is one of the core research groups in the Utrecht Bioinformatics Centre (UBC), a campus-wide network of actively collaborating bioinformaticians dealing with different aspects of data analysis in the Life Sciences. UBC maintains a high-performance compute cluster consisting of >1.5k cores and 600TB of storage that we use in our research.

At the Faculty of Science there are 6 departments to make a fundamental connection with: Biology, Chemistry, Information and Computing Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Physics. Each of them is made up of distinct institutes which work together to focus on answering some of humanity’s most pressing problems. More fundamental still are the individual research groups - the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects.

Utrecht University is a friendly and ambitious university at the heart of an ancient city. We love to welcome new scientists to our city – a thriving cultural hub that is consistently rated as one of the world’s happiest cities. We are renowned for our innovative interdisciplinary research and our emphasis on inspirational research and excellent education. We are equally well-known for our familiar atmosphere and the can-do attitude of our people. This fundamental connection attracts Researchers, Professors and PhD candidates from all over the globe, making both the University and the Faculty of Science a vibrant international and wonderfully diverse community.