The Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS), one of the largest institutes of the Faculty of Science, is home to around 240 researchers organised in four research themes and support facilities that include microscopy, advanced sequencing and Mass Spectrometry.

SILS is currently strengthening its data science research, in light of which several Data Support staff members will be recruited. The Green Life Science (GLS) Research theme is looking for a highly qualified and motivated candidate to support its data analysis, computational modelling and data management in molecular plant sciences and microbiome research.

In this position you will focus on advanced data analysis of data gathered by e.g. genome sequencing, RNAseq, proteomics and plant metabolomics, to help develop and safeguard (novel) tools and/or models used in molecular plant sciences, and train junior research staff in data handling and analyses, their experimental setup and statistics. You will work in the GLS research theme but you are also strongly connected to the activities of the Biosystems Data Analysis Group of the SILS institute and the Datascience Center Amsterdam.

Are you an enthusiastic researcher with a demonstratable affinity for data analysis in search of an interesting and challenging position? Then this is the position for you!

What are you going to do?
You are expected to:

• develop and implement new data analysis pipelines for various data types,

including genomics, metabolomics, proteomics and RNAseq analyses;

• explore tools for metabolite and protein identification and structure;
• secure and maintain data tools and making them accessible in an online environment;
• support researchers, provide consultation on experimental setup, data analysis tools,

statistics and in FAIR data principles and data management (RDM);

• be the linking pin between the experimental researchers and the Biosystems Data Analysis department

of the institute, and associate with the Faculty Data Science Centre;

• support and extend the activities of the “Amsterdam Science Park Study Group”;
• participate in (data-related) teaching activities;
• be open to collaborations with other institutes and/or companies by contributing expertise to

(joint) research projects.

You have/are

• a PhD with a strong Life Science component, preferably in molecular plant sciences, with proven interest

and experience in data analyses, or a background in computational or bioinformatics background with

demonstrable affinity for Life Sciences;

• strong programming skills (e.g. R, Phyton) and expertise in methods for data analysis;
• demonstratable interest in systems biology and AI-based solutions is an asset for this position;
• experience in supporting researchers and education is preferred;
• excellent communication skills and the willingness to collaborate with many different people;
• are fluent in English, both written and spoken.

We offer a temporary contract for 38 hours a week for the duration of 12 months, preferably starting on 1-5-2024. A permanent contract subsequently follows if we assess your performance positive.

The salary, depending on relevant experience before the beginning of the employment contract, will be €3.226 to €5.090 gross per month, based on a fulltime contract (38 hours a week). This is exclusive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

Are you curious about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits like our excellent opportunities for study and development? Take a look here.

Faculty of Science

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 7,000, as well as 1,600 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

Research at the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences focusses on understanding the functioning of living organisms, from the most basic aspects up to complex physiological functions. Biological processes are studied at the level of molecules, cells, cellular networks and organisms, and the interactions between and in all those levels. We integrate research on gene expression, the structure of DNA molecules and chromatin, protein-protein interactions, protein structure-function relations and signal transduction processes, as they take place in man, animal, plant and micro-organism.

The research in the GLS departments aims at understanding, at a molecular level, of how plants deal with biotic and abiotic constraints, how they interact with insects, microbes and other organisms and how plants diversified in evolution. We create omics data including transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics to identify metabolites, genes and proteins in plants that play a role in growth and development under changing conditions and interactions with their environment.