Postdoctoral Researcher in Microbiome Analysis of the Soil-plant-gut-health Axis

at  Universiteit van Amsterdam

Postdoctoral Researcher in Microbiome Analysis of the Soil-plant-gut-health Axis
Faculteit/Dienst: Faculteit der Natuurw., Wiskunde & Informatica
Opleidingsniveau: Gepromoveerd
Functie type: Researcher
Sluitingsdatum: 31.10.2024
Vacaturenummer: 13418
In the NWO-KIC project MicroHealth, we study the role of the microbiome in the relationship between soil, agricultural products and health of humans. This relationship has enormous societal implications because agriculture has a large impact on our environment and food is the number one driver of human health.
In MicroHealth, with a team of plant and human biologists, sociologists and data analysts, we will establish the connection between the impact of agriculture on the soil and plant quality/microbiome and the consequences for the health of humans, as well as the social and political context of this connection. We will achieve this by
1. studying the impact of farming strategies on the soil and crop microbiome and crop nutritional composition;
2. an intervention study in the HELIUS cohort tracing crop-related microbiome and nutritional composition changes and
its relation to health status;
3. advanced bioinformatics analysis and statistical modelling that integrate the results of activities 1 and 2;
4. embedding the study in research on opportunities and conflicts in policies and stakeholder-networks and microbiome-related
health practises at the household level.
For integrating the metagenomics data from soil, crop and the human gut microbiomes by bioinformatics analysis of single nucleotide variants and by extension of structural equation/causal models (activity 3), we are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with a passion for interdisciplinary microbiome research and a background in bioinformatics, bio-data science and/or bio-statistics.
You will be based at the Biosystems Data Analysis research group of the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) and collaborate with PhDs and postdocs from SILS and the Amsterdam University Medical Centre (AUMC) who will be responsible for the other activities. The Biosystems Data Analysis research group develops and validates methods for organizing, summarizing, and visualizing complex biological data through the integration of bioinformatics and biostatistics.

ABOUT US

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 7,000, as well as 1,600 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.
The Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) is located at the vibrant Amsterdam Science Park. SILS is one of eight institutes of the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science (FNWI). With around 240 employees, SILS carries out internationally high-quality life science research and provides education within various university programs. Research is also carried out in close cooperation with the medical, biotech, chemical, flavor, food & agricultural, and high-tech industries, and revolves around 4 main themes, Cell & Systems biology, Neurosciences, Microbiology and Green Life Sciences.

You are expected to:

• develop bioinformatics and statistical modelling methods for detection and analysis of direct and indirect effects

  in the integrated soil-crop-gut-health axis;

• collaborate with research partners within the MicroHealth consortium;

• report and present your work-progress on a regular basis to the research partners and stakeholders within the consortium;
• publish your results in high level international journals and present at leading conferences;
• be active in the fundamental and/or applied research of our Biosystems Data Analysis group.