Postdoctoral Fellow in Bioinformatics and Cancer Genetics
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Subject Bioinformatics and cancer genetics
Subject description Somatic mutation accumulation and clonal evolution are central processes in cancer development. Through large-scale whole-genome sequencing and large-scale methods, these processes can be mapped in detail, providing insights into tumor initiation, progression, and treatment response. This position focuses on the development and application of bioinformatic methods for the analysis of genomic cancer data, including large public international datasets and locally generated patient-proximal sequencing data. The project includes studies of somatic mutation processes, clonal dynamics, tumor evolutionary history, or integrative analyses of genomic and clinical data. Analyses of non-cancer-related sequencing data may also be considered. The work takes place in a research environment with strong expertise in cancer genomics, computational biology, and translational research. Works published by the group recently include:
Ögren et al., Light-based footprinting of a eukaryotic genome. Science Advances 2026; Elliott et al., Mechanistic basis of atypical TERT promoter mutations. Nature Communications. 2024; Elliott et al. Base-resolution UV footprinting by sequencing reveals distinctive damage signatures for DNA-binding proteins. Nature Communications. 2023; Boström et al. Somatic mutation distribution across tumour cohorts provides a signal for positive selection in cancer. Nature Communications. 2022; Elias et al. Independent somatic evolution underlies clustered neuroendocrine tumors in the human small intestine. Nature Communications. 2021; Van den Eynden et al. Lack of detectable neoantigen depletion signals in the untreated cancer genome. Nature Genetics. 2019.
Tasks The postdoctoral researcher will apply and develop bioinformatic methods for the analysis of whole-genome sequencing and other NGS-based data from patients, such as mutation calling and detection of mosaic mutations. The work may also involve statistical analyses and visualization to identify and interpret somatic mutation patterns and other genomic changes, as well as the integration of genomic data with clinical and phenotypic variables where relevant. The researcher is expected to contribute to manuscript writing and publication in international scientific journals, and may present research results at national and international conferences.
Eligibility Eligibility for employment as a teacher is regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 4 and University of Gothenburg's employment regulations. Those who have been awarded a doctoral degree, an artistic doctoral degree, or who hold a foreign degree assessed to correspond to a doctoral degree are eligible to be employed as a postdoctoral fellow. In the first instance, consideration should be given to those who have been awarded their degree at most three years before the end of the application period. Those who have been awarded their degree earlier should also be considered in the first instance if there are special reasons. Special reasons include leave due to illness, parental leave, positions of trust within trade unions, service within the total defense, or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical service or service/assignments relevant to the subject area.
Assessment criteria Good programming skills and experience with linux/unix are a requirement. Knowledge of R or Matlab is also highly desirable. Previous experience in the analysis of large-scale sequencing data is recommended, especially knowledge regarding mapping of somatic mutations. Experience from relevant biological areas is desirable, and the applicant is expected to have published several peer-reviewed scientific articles. Excellent communication skills are required, including fluency in English, both spoken and written. Assessment criteria for employment as a teacher are specified in Chapter 4, Sections 3–4 of the Higher Education Ordinance as well as University of Gothenburg's own employment regulations.
Employment The employment is full-time and fixed-term, two years with the possibility of a one-year extension, with placement until further notice at the Department of Biomedicine. Commencement is by agreement.
Recruitment procedure https://www.gu.se/jobba-hos-goteborgs-universitet/sa-blir-du-en-av-oss#S%C3%A5-h%C3%A4r-g%C3%A5r-rekryteringsprocessen-till%20%]%C2%A0
Contact information for the employment Information about the employment is provided by: Erik Larsson Lekholm, Professor, phone: +46 31 786 6942, e-mail: erik.lekholm@gu.se.
Trade union organizations You can find trade union representatives at University of Gothenburg here: https://www.gu.se/jobba-hos-goteborgs-universitet/sa-blir-du-en-av-oss#kollektivavtal-och-fackliga-foretradare
Application procedure You apply for the position via University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal by clicking the "Apply" button. As an applicant, you are responsible for ensuring that the application is complete in accordance with the advertisement and that it is provided to the university no later than the application deadline. The application must contain: A personal letter with a motivation for why you are applying for the position CV including scientific publications Two references with contact information A copy of proof of doctoral degree
The application must be received no later than: 2026-10-10
The university actively works for a work environment with equal conditions and values the qualities that diversity brings to the operation. The university applies individual salary setting. According to the National Archives' regulations, the university is obliged to keep application documents for two years after the appointment decision. If you, as an applicant for a position, specifically request your documents back, they will be returned after the two years have passed; otherwise, they will be destroyed. To staffing and recruitment companies and to you who are a salesperson: University of Gothenburg employs a contracted advertising agency in connection with the recruitment of staff. We kindly but firmly decline direct contact from staffing and recruitment companies as well as sellers of job advertisements.