PhD Student in Molecular Biology – Data-Driven Epidemiology and Biology of Infection – Umeå University

Job Description

Department of Molecular Biology at Umeå University is seeking a PhD student in Molecular Biology, attached to national DDLS Research school in Data driven epidemiology and biology of infection. The future of life science is data-driven. Would you like to be part of this transformation? We warmly welcome your application to this unique PhD programme, with a planned start in January 2027, or as agreed. Application deadline: 19 November 2026.
Data-driven life science (DDLS) uses data, computational methods and artificial intelligence to study biological systems and processes at all levels, from molecular structures and cellular processes to human health and global ecosystems. The SciLifeLab and Wallenberg National Program for Data Driven Life Science (DDLS) aims to recruit and train the next generation of data-driven life scientists and to create globally leading computational and data science capabilities in Sweden. The program is funded with a total of 3.3 billion SEK over 12 years from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) Foundation.
In 2026 the DDLS Research School will be expanded with the recruitment of 25 academic and 7 industrial PhD students. During the course of the DDLS program more than 260 PhD students and 200 postdocs will be part of the Research School. The DDLS program has four strategic research areas: cell and molecular biology, evolution and biodiversity, precision medicine and diagnostics, epidemiology and biology of infection. For more information, please see
https://www.scilifelab.se/data-driven/ddls-research-school/
Data driven epidemiology and biology of infection covers research that will transform our understanding of pathogens, their interactions with hosts and the environment, and how they are transmitted through populations. Research will have a strong focus on computational analysis or predictive modelling of pathogen biology or host-microbe systems for which multidimensional, genome-scale experimental data are now available or it may use population-scale genetic, clinical, or public health data from pathogen surveillance efforts and biobanks.
This interdisciplinary PhD project lies at the intersection of molecular biology, bioinformatics, and computer science. The doctoral student will develop innovative computational methods for the analysis and interpretation of complex biological data, while pursuing doctoral studies in Molecular Biology at Umeå University.
We are looking for a PhD student in Molecular Biology with an interest in algorithms, data structures, and high-performance computing. The position at the Department of Molecular Biology at Umeå University is temporary for four years to start immediately or as agreed. The student will be enrolled in the Umeå university Technical Faculty PhD school for Molecular Biology, as well as the national DDLS PhD school for Data driven epidemiology and biology of infection. However, no prior knowledge of biology is required and the ideal candidate has a Computing Science background or similar.

Description of work
The PhD student will participate in activities provided by the Department of Molecular Biology, the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), and the Umeå Centrum for Microbial Research (UCMR). Furthermore, the student will take part in Data-driven Life Science (DDLS) national activities and have access to the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP). This enables interaction with researchers from different research fields and access to various scientific and technical expertise.

Background and description of tasks
Our group develops new single-cell multiomic methods to characterize microbial genomes, resulting in vast (terabyte-petabyte) amounts of data. Using this technology, we aim to characterize complex bacterial communities across different environments, to be stored for deeper analysis and visualization in a Microbial Cell Atlas. This position aims to develop key software components to enable this mission. The results of this project will be used to track new pathogens, combat antimicrobial resistance and biological threats, and find new enzymes of broad interest (e.g., CRISPR gene editing). It will also reduce environmental impact of bioinformatics and promote safe computing standards.
Our software is built primarily in Rust, with minor parts in R and Python to support bioinformaticians. Our web frontend is also developed in Rust (web assembly) – all to support fast computing and handling of complex single-cell data. The software is designed from the ground up for a new type of data (single-cell whole-genome sequencing/metagenomics), and how to best analyze the data is an open research problem. Analysis covers preprocessing, assembly of DNA fragments into complete genomes, imputation of missing data, filtering of bad data, prediction of the meaning of the DNA in individual cells, compression for archiving, indexing and visualization. Our hardware encompasses CPU and GPU-nodes, and software will be designed for both multithreading and horizontal scaling.
The PhD student will become part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers and engineers, covering chemistry, microbiology, computing science, mathematics and data science. As a major team effort, the PhD student is not expected to carry out all tasks, but rather identify and tackle suitable subproblems. Experience of a statically typed programming language is however a must. We encourage independent thinking, from problem definition to solution, and projects are flexible.
A person who is employed as a PhD student shall primarily devote his-/or herself to his/her own education. The project and research environment will give the dedicated student the opportunity to train as a first-class researcher.

Qualifications

• Applicants must hold a University degree equivalent to a European University Master degree or completed course requirements of at least 240 credit points, of which at least 60 credit points should be at second-cycle level.
• To fulfil the general entry requirements, the applicant must have qualifications equivalent to either a completed degree at advanced level (second-cycle), or completed course requirements of at least 240 ECTS, including at least 60 ECTS at advanced level, or has otherwise acquired essentially equivalent knowledge within Sweden or abroad. The faculty board may, in the case of a specific applicant, consent to an exemption from the general entry requirements if there are special reasons to do so. (Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 7, Section 39).
• To meet the specific entry requirements for doctoral education in molecular biology, the applicant must have completed higher education studies comprising at least 90 credits in a relevant subject area.
• The requirements for prior knowledge as described above are also considered to be met by those who have otherwise acquired essentially equivalent knowledge. You must be proficient in both oral and written communication in English.
• Requirements:
• Background in Computing Science, Bioinformatics or otherwise combines interest in Biology with strong programming experience.
• Have experience of a statically typed language
• Have knowledge of algorithm design and common data structures

Skills Required

• Advantageous:
• Has experience of Rust
• Has experience of bioinformatics (especially of de novo assembly, single-cell analysis, and microbial bioinformatics)
• Has experience of web development and dynamic websites
• Has basic knowledge of mathematics (e.g. linear algebra, probability, statistics, stochastic processes)
• Has experience of in program development
• Additional desirable:
• Has experience of R and Python
• Has experience of machine learning
• Has any knowledge of biology

Additional Information

Always verify vacancy details and availability on the employer’s official website. Jobs Bio Help Learning is an independent job-discovery platform and does not process applications.