10 fully funded PhD fellowships in Quantitative Biology

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The advent of large-throughput data is transforming life sciences into an increasingly quantitative discipline. The University of Lausanne (Switzerland) is at the forefront of this revolution, with quantitative research ramping up throughout the Faculty of Biology and Medicine, a dedicated department of Computational Biology, and interdisciplinary units such as the Center for Integrative Genomics. UNIL also hosts the headquarters of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, to which many quantitative research groups are affiliated, and closely collaborates with EPFL on the same campus. Ideally situated along the lake of Geneva, near Lausanne’s city center, UNIL brings together over 120 nationalities.

UNIL’s Faculty of Biology and Medicine has recently launched a doctoral program entitled “Quantitative Biology”. A wide range of research groups are recruiting PhD students, covering areas as diverse as Computational Biology, Cancer Genomics, Human Genetics, Neuroscience, Evolutionary Ecology, Gene Regulation, Neural Networks, Cell Biology and Genetic.

In 2023, hiring principal investigators include Sven Bergmann, Giovanni Ciriello, Raphael Gottardo, Zoltán Kutalik, Johannes Larsch, Charles Mullon, Alexandre Reymond, Julien Vaucher,  Alessandro Villa , Aleksandar Vjestica.

Job information

Expected start date: 01.03.2024 or to be agreed

Successful candidates will be offered one of two kinds of PhD student work contract, depending on the funding available to the hiring supervisor by the start of the contract:

(1)    Doctoral assistant on UNIL funds, at an activity rate of 85%. The initial contract is of one year but will be renewed up to 5 years.
(2)    Doctoral assistant on external funds, at an activity rate of 100%. The initial contract is of one year but will be renewed up to 4 years.

Please also note that in some cases, again depending on the hiring supervisor situation, contracts will be issued from the CHUV (University Hospital) or a different UNIL faculty.

Workplace: University of Lausanne (Dorigny, Bugnon, or Epalinges—depending on the supervisor)

Your qualifications

We are accepting applications from talented and enthusiastic candidates who are interested in a dynamic, well-supported lab at a top research institution. Candidates need to finish a Master’s degree in a relevant area before the start date of their doctoral studies.

We are looking for three main types of PhD students:

• Student with a life science degree, keen not only to work in an experimental lab but also to develop quantitative skills during the PhD.
• Student with a life science degree, keen to work in a primarily theoretical or computational lab.
• Student with a non-biological background (e.g. CS, math, physics), keen to transition to computational biology.

A high level of written and spoken English proficiency is required since most scientific activities are conducted in English.

What the position offers you

You will develop your research project while working in a world-class, interdisciplinary and highly collaborative environment.

The PhD program in Quantitative Biology provides opportunities for professional training and acquisition of highly transferable skills. This is complemented by a wide range of activities (retreats, symposia, student life).

The position is fully funded. Salary and benefits are internationally highly competitive. Additional funding for consumables, computing, and to attend international conferences is available.

Informal inquiries

Prof. Giovanni Ciriello, Co-director of the UNIL Doctoral Program in Quantitative Biology program

giovanni.ciriello@unil.ch

Your application 

Deadline: 15.10.2023

For your application to be considered, you need to fill in two forms. Please read these instructions carefully.

The first form, linked here , requires the following informations:

• Personal details
• A cover letter. This can be very brief, since you will provide your motivations in the second form below.
• A single PDF document containing:
  • Your curriculum vitae (with extracurricular activities, internships, publications, conferences, awards, software contributions, etc.)
  • Available transcripts (Bachelor’s and, if available, Master’s)
  • Bachelor or Master’s thesis summary, preferably, or summary of any research project you’ve been involved in. If the work is part of a team, please clarify your contribution.
• The names and contact details of 2-3 referees

The second form, linked here , requires you to answer the following questions

• What your most meaningful research experience to date and why? [up to 4000 characters, i.e. approximately 850 words]
• What accomplishment—academic or not—to date are you proudest and why? [up to 1500 characters, i.e. approximately 320 words]
• Why would you like to pursue a PhD, and why specifically at the UNIL Quantitative Biology Ph.D. program? [up to 1500 characters, i.e. approximately 320 words]
• Which recruiting labs are you the most interested in and why [up to 1500 characters, i.e. approximately 320 words]

If you can’t access the second form (e.g. connecting from China), please follow the instructions on this page.

Lab visits and interviews will take place on December 4-5, 2023 in Lausanne.

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