Postdoctoral scholarship (2 years) in Bioinformatics Umeå University in Sweden

Umeå University is offering a 2-year postdoctoral scholarship in bioinformatics within the Department of Medical and Translational Biology and the Horváth Lab. The project, “Transposable elements and the aging human brain: Functional Insights and therapeutic opportunities”, investigates how transposable elements and epigenetic repression change during human brain aging and how these changes may affect oligodendrocytes and white matter. The position is full-time and is planned to start in September 2026, or by agreement.

The research environment is international, collaborative, and multidisciplinary. The Horváth Lab is part of the Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine (WCMM) at Umeå University, which is linked to broader national life science efforts and collaborates across neuroscience, cancer, infection biology, and metabolic disease. The project will use post-mortem human brain samples and integrate multiple high-throughput datasets, including single-nuclei RNA sequencing, Oxford Nanopore long-read DNA and RNA sequencing, Illumina RNA sequencing, and CUT&RUN profiling.

The postdoctoral fellow will focus on advanced bioinformatics analysis and multi-omics integration, with an emphasis on transposable element biology, epigenetics, and computational genomics. The role includes analyzing and integrating data from bulk and single-cell approaches, developing TE-tailored methods, and contributing to a broader understanding of aging-associated molecular regulation in the brain. The position also offers opportunities to build expertise in neuroscience, genome regulation, scientific communication, project management, and research leadership.

Applicants must have a doctoral degree in bioinformatics, computer science, neuroscience, genome biology, molecular biology, biomedicine, genetics, or a closely related area. Strong experience with genomics, epigenomics, and/or transcriptomics analysis in R, Python, and shell is required, along with familiarity with tools such as edgeR, DESeq2, and bedtools. Prior publication record is expected. Desirable experience includes work on single-cell data, long-read datasets, supercomputing clusters, epigenetics, transposable elements, and genome organization. Excellent English communication skills are essential.

The application must be submitted via Umeå University’s Varbi system by 11 September 2026. Required documents include a cover letter, CV, publication list, doctoral degree certificate or proof of expected completion, thesis if available, and contact details for two references. For questions, contact Vivien Horváth at [email protected].