SCIENCE-JOBS-DE
Postdoc in bioinformatics (Marseille, France)
RESPONSIBLE TO Dr Pedro Ballester
CONTRACT Full-time postdoctoral for two years in the first instance
CLOSING DATE Friday 17 October 2014
Working environment
The CRCM is the basic science and translational research unit of the comprehensive cancer centre Institut Paoli Calmettes (IPC). Also affiliated to Inserm, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, the 250 researchers working at the CRCM form a strongly multi-disciplinary research environment characterized by frequent and close collaborations with IPC clinicians. The working language of the CRCM is English. More information about the CRCM is available at http://crcm.marseille.inserm.fr/uploads/media/presentation_CRCM_2014.pdf
Project
The post holder will carry out methodological research to advance our current ability to model cancer pharmacogenomics. The research will include the development of machine learning regression techniques tailored to this problem and the optimal integration of omics data characterising cancer cell lines. The post holder will also have the opportunity to apply the developed models to large-scale phenotypic-based drug repositioning, which is a promising approach to the cost-effective and fast identification of new drug candidates. This translational research will be in collaboration with cancer biologists and preclinical researchers at the CRCM. The ultimate goal of this project is to devise computational tools able to accelerate the discovery of cell-active and clinically-safe drug candidates for a particular cancer subtype.
Selection criteria - Essential
• A PhD degree with a major focus on computational analysis of experimental data, preferably in an area directly relevant to the project.
• Experience in the application of machine learning to solve real-world problems in the context of biomedical research.
• Skilled in the implementation of R or Python scripts for scientific data analysis.
• Comfortable working in linux platforms, including iterative format conversion and integration of large data files using scripting languages such as bash or python.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake high quality scientific research.
• Genuine interest in learning the basics of cancer biology and drug discovery if not already known.
Selection criteria - Desirable
• A track record of publications relevant to this project will be a strong advantage.
• Prior use of computational tools and resources for pharmacogenomic data.
• Hands-on experience in the design and implementation of relational databases using MySQL and/or PostgreSQL.
• Familiarity with the processes of handling, integrating, processing and analysing omics data (especially genomic and transcriptomic data from NGS technologies).
• Software engineering skills using C++, C and/or Python (numPy/SciPy/scikit-learn) including version control tools such as git or mercurial.
• Working knowledge of open-source chemoinformatics toolkits (e.g. RDKit or OpenBabel) and medicinal chemistry databases (e.g. ChEMBL and ZINC).
• Prior use of high-performance computing to train machine learning algorithms.
What we offer
The successful candidate will receive a net monthly salary in the range €1,934–€2,323 depending on experience. The contract will be for two years in the first instance, with the possibility of a further two-year extension. This is an exciting opportunity for a bright and diligent postdoctoral scientist to apply her or his expertise to a timely biochemical problem of great therapeutic importance as well as playing a key role in subsequent multi-disciplinary collaborations using the developed methods to guide translational research in cancer.
The successful candidate will be strongly supported to apply for a permanent research scientist position (e.g. Inserm CR2 or CNRS CR2) to be initially held within the Ballester team. In terms of quality of life, the CRCM is located in Marseille and thus the post holder will enjoy living in an exciting multi-cultural city right by the French Mediterranean coast.
How to apply
Candidates must send a CV including peer-reviewed publications and a covering letter (maximum two pages) topedro.ballester@inserm.fr with subject line “Bioinformatics position”. This letter will explain how they meet the essential selection criteria, which desirable selection criteria are also met and how this position would fit in their future career plans. They also have to arrange two references from scientists familiar with their research to be sent directly to pedro.ballester@inserm.fr by the closing date.
Pedro Ballester
pedro.ballester@inserm.fr
Cancer Research Center of Marseille (CRCM)
Marseille, France