Doctoral Researcher, Research unit of Clinical Medicine

at  Oulun Yliopisto

The University of Oulu is a multidisciplinary, international research university, with about 3,600 employees who produce new knowledge based on high-standards research and provide research based education to build a more sustainable, smarter, and more humane world. The University of Oulu community has about 17,000 people in total. Our northern scientific community operates globally and creates conditions for the emergence of innovations.
Applications are invited for a full-time

ABOUT THE JOB

We are seeking for a motivated and skilled doctoral researcher to join our research team investigating the composition and functions of the early life microbiome and microbiome-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). This project aims to provide fundamental insights into how early life microbiome compositions and EVs contribute to health and disease. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary team of microbiologists, bioinformaticians, and clinicians.
The doctoral researcher will focus on characterizing the gut microbiota derived bacterial and fungal extracellular vesicles in early life and tracking their dynamic changes over time and in response to environmental factors. This includes isolating and characterizing microbiome-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), with a focus on molecular and functional profiling through techniques like proteomics and lipidomics. The candidate will apply bioinformatics tools and statistical analysis to interpret large-scale microbiome datasets, integrating multiple ’omics’ to explore correlations between microbiome composition.
Additionally, the doctoral researcher will work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary research team, sharing findings in group meetings, preparing presentations for scientific conferences, and contributing to peer-reviewed publications and project reports. Experience with Python and R for bioinformatics, data visualization, and statistical analysis is highly desirable. Knowledge of bioinformatics tools such as QIIME2, DADA2, or similar pipelines for microbiome analysis is advantageous.

REQUIREMENTS

To successfully occupy the position of a doctoral researcher, you must possess a Master’s degree or an equivalent degree (e.g. licentiate) preferably in biochemistry, biology, medicine, pharmacy, physiology or equivalent. We will also consider applicants who are currently conducting their Master’s thesis study if they earn their Master´s degree before starting the position in 2025.
Degree must have been completed with good grades (at least 60% of maximum grade, or 3/5, in both taught studies and the Master’s thesis) by Feb 2nd, 2025 (or latest before the job contract starts). Excellent writing and fluency in English is expected. The doctoral researcher position is intended for an Early Stage Researcher (ESR) who, according to the ”European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers”, is defined as a researcher in the first three years (full-time equivalent) of his/her research activity, including the period of research training. Applicants will be either starting their doctoral training, or will have completed no more than two full years of training (adjusted for possible previous part-time status) at the time the position is filled.
We hope you have previous experience within biomedical research in cell and molecular biology. We hope you are familiar with the basics of microbiology and microbiome research. We expect you to be active and able to pursue independent research.
The selected candidate will carry out their doctoral studies in the Health and Biosciences Doctoral Programme of the University of Oulu Graduate School (or one of the other UniOGS Doctoral Programmes, if appropriate) and must meet the minimal requirements to receive doctoral study rights as defined inUniOGS website.

Please refer the Job description for details