Development of cell type-specific viral vectors for gene targeting

Brain tissue is characterized by its complex composition of a multitude of cell types ranging from different neuronal types to glia and epithelial cells. The difficulty to manipulate the various cell types specifically and independently is a major obstacle for both, basic research as well as therapeutic approaches.

The aim of an intersecting, joint project of the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH and the University Medical Center together with a partner from the pharmaceutical industry, is to develop a new generation of viral vectors that enable cell type-specific expression of genes of interest. To that goal, we will apply massive parallel screening approaches for genomic regulatory elements in vivo together with an in-depth bioinformatics analysis on the regulatory mechanisms of cell type-specific gene regulation.

The Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB) is a Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences funded by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation and located within the campus of the University of Mainz in Germany. IMB focuses on epigenetics, DNA repair and developmental biology and offers premium scientific core facilities (see www.imb-mainz.de/core-facilities)

The University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has more than 60 clinics, institutes and departments making it the only facility of its kind in Rhineland-Palatinate. For more than 7500 employees, healthcare, research and teaching are intrinsically linked.

To complement our project team, we are looking to fill the position of a Bioinformatician (m/f)

The Bioinformatics Core Facility of the IMB performs high-throughput data processing, analysis, visualisation and interpretation; it provides IT infrastructure as well as teaching and consulting services.

You will:

• Join an exciting collaborative project, exploring regulatory DNA elements in the mouse brain
• Participate in the experimental planning, processing, analysis and publication of various next-generation sequencing (NGS) datasets
• Develop custom bioinformatics workflows for data analysis and integration

Required qualifications:

• University degree or postgraduate training in computational biology / bioinformatics
• Extensive (2+ years) experience in the analysis of NGS data, particularly ChIP-seq and RNA-seq
• Solid programming skills and familiarity with Linux compute clusters
• Sound knowledge of statistics, version control and R / Bioconductor
• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• Good organisational, communication and interpersonal skills

Desirable qualifications:

• Experience in interdisciplinary collaborations
• Familiarity with contemporary biomedical research topics
• Knowledge of software engineering and bioinformatics pipelines

IMB offers:

• Stimulating, diverse and international research environment
• Flexible working hours and advanced training opportunities
• Competitive salary and favourable pension scheme

IMB is an equal opportunity employer. Applications should be in English and sent as a single PDF file including a cover letter, CV, certificates and contact information of at least two professional references quoting Ref. No. CFBIO11 to personal(at)imb-mainz.de.

Deadline for applications: 30 Sept. 2017

Starting date: No later than the first quarter of 2018 with an initial contract for three years, with an option for extension.