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Liens UNIL
Joint PhD Call (late 2019)
15 Fully funded PhD studentships in Quantitative Biology
Introduction
The advent of large-throughput data is transforming life sciences into an increasingly quantitative discipline. The University of Lausanne (Switzerland) is at the forefront of this revolution, with quantitative research ramping up throughout the Faculty of Biology and Medicine, a dedicated department of Computational Biology, and interdisciplinary units such as the Center for Integrative Genomics. UNIL also hosts the headquarters of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, to which many quantitative research groups are affiliated, and closely collaborates with EPFL on the same campus. Ideally situated along the lake of Geneva, near Lausanne's city center, UNIL brings together over 120 nationalities.
UNIL's Faculty of Biology and Medicine has a recently launched a doctoral programme entitled "Quantitative Biology". A wide range of research groups are recruiting PhD students, covering areas as diverse as evolution, synthetic biology, plant science, cancer genomics, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, biological imaging, and computational biology.
Hiring principal investigators include Roman Arguello, Richard Benton, Sven Bergmann, Giovanni Ciriello, Adrien Depeursinge, Paul Franken, Maria-Cristina Gambetta, Jérôme Goudet, Laurent Keller, Zoltán Kutalik, Liliane Michalik, Serge Pelet, Alexandre Reymond, Marc Robinson-Rechavi, Sebastian Soyk, Yuko Ulrich & Jolanda van Leeuwen.
Job information
Expected start date: 01.03.2020 or to be agreed
Contract length: The initial contract is for one year and is extendable to a total of 4-5 years.
Activity rate: 80-100%
Workplace: University of Lausanne, Dorigny
Your qualifications
We are accepting applications from talented and enthusiastic candidates who are interested in a dynamic, well-supported lab at a top research institution. Candidates need to finish a Master’s degree in a relevant area before the start date of their doctoral studies.
We are looking for three main types of PhD students:
- Students with a life science degree, interested in working in an experimental lab, but with a high degree of motivation to learn the fundamentals of computational biology, and to develop quantitative skills to analyze data more effectively
- Students with a life science degree interested in working in a dry computational lab, keen to deepen their quantitative skills and broaden their horizon in terms of experimental and computational techniques
- Students with a non-biological background (e.g. computer science, maths, physics), who are highly motivated to transition to Life Sciences
A high level of written and spoken English proficiency is required since most scientific activities are conducted in English,
What the position offers you
You will develop your research project while working in a world competitive, interdisciplinary and highly collaborative environment.
The PhD program in Quantitative Biology provides opportunities for professional training and acquisition of highly transferable skills. This is complemented by a wide range of activities (retreats, symposia, student life).
The position is fully funded. Salary and benefits are internationally highly competitive. Additional funding for consumables, computing, and to attend international conferences is available.
Informal inquiries
Prof. Christophe Dessimoz, Director of the UNIL Doctoral Program in Quantitative Biology program
christophe.dessimoz@unil.ch
Your application
Deadline: 15.10.2019
Please, send your full application in Word or PDF through the form linked below.
It should contain:
- Motivation letter (max. one page)
- Curriculum vitae including, if available, extracurricular activities, internships, publications, conferences, awards, software contributions, etc.
- Master’s thesis summary (max. one page)
- The names and contact details of 2-3 referees
Lab visits and interviews will take place on 3-4 December 2019 in Lausanne.
Frequently asked questions
Which labs will be recruiting this round?
This is still subject to changes, but the current list of recruiting professors is provided in the job announcement above.
Do I need to specify which lab I would like to join?
Yes, please mention it in your application (on the application system and in your cover letter, with some context). However, keep in mind that this is not binding and that you can update your preference on the interview day, should you be selected.
What will happen after I send my application?
The hiring committee will evaluate and shortlist candidates for a 2-day visit in Lausanne on 3-4 December 2019 where hiring labs will introduce themselves and candidates will be interviewed. At the end of this process, both candidates and recruiting labs will be asked for their preferred choice(s), and job offers will be made on this basis.
Do I need to have completed my Master's degree by the time of the application?
No, you need to have completed at the latest by the time you get hired, so if you expect graduation within a few months, it might still be worthwhile applying.
Can the letter of recommendations be submitted by the referees after the application deadline?
There is no need to submit recommendation letters at all, as we will only solicit letters if your application ranks highly. Therefore, all you need to provide at the time of application are the name and contact details of your references.
Who will cover the costs of the in-person interview?
We will cover the travel and accommodation of candidates invited to Lausanne for an interview.
Is an interview by Skype also possible?
For short-listed candidates who are not in Europe, we may first organize a Skype interview prior to any in-person visit/interview. The relevant candidates will be contacted directly.
