PhD Student in Molecular Evolution

Do you want to work with molecular evolution, supported by competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Do you want an employer that invests in sustainable employee relations and offers secure, favorable working conditions? Welcome to apply for a PhD position at Uppsala University.

The Department of Cell and Molecular Biology is divided into seven research programs, each focusing on different areas within cell and molecular biology: computational biology and bioinformatics, microbiology and immunology, molecular biology, molecular biophysics, molecular evolution, molecular systems biology, and structural biology. The scientific foundation for what we do lies within biology, but our research overlaps with other fields such as medicine, computer science, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, and physics. The department has over 200 employees, of which around 60 are PhD students. Please read more about our work at https://icm.uu.se (https://icm.uu.se).

A PhD position in Jennifer James's research group in the Molecular Evolution program is now available. More information about her research can be found here: https://www.scilifelab.se/researchers/jennifer-james/ (https://www.scilifelab.se/researchers/jennifer-james/). The position is fully funded for four years. The successful candidate will become a member of a newly established research group focusing on understanding the evolutionary patterns and processes that shape genomes and proteomes. We are excited to welcome you to the group!

Project Description

Understanding the mutation variation present in populations is a central goal in evolutionary biology. The amount and type of standing variation within the genome determine how well populations can adapt and how susceptible they are to harboring harmful mutations. However, much of the current analysis focuses only on one type of mutation, known as SNP, which only affects single nucleotides. The aim of this PhD project is to investigate the effect of other types of mutations on population fitness, with a particular focus on copy number variation (CNV), which refers to genomic regions of medium size that exist in varying copy numbers among individuals in a population. This project will explore evolutionary patterns in understudied categories of mutations to assess their effects within and between species, to understand how they change in copy number within a genome, and to investigate their potential role in adaptation.

Responsibilities

This PhD position will be entirely data-driven, focusing on large-scale bioinformatics analysis of existing data from a range of species. The PhD student will be responsible for creating a bioinformatics pipeline to analyze genomic data, applying cutting-edge methods to identify and characterize CNV, and calculating summary population genetic statistics. The student will then conduct comparative genomic analyses to assess the likely effects of different types of mutations on fitness. The student will also explore how CNV may increase or decrease in copy number over evolutionary time within a genome. Finally, the student will investigate how to predict the effects that understudied mutation categories have on fitness. Additional specific research projects will be developed in collaboration with the candidate, depending on their project results and research interests.

Qualifications

Eligible for doctoral education is someone who has:

• completed a master's degree in biology, or
• completed at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the advanced level including an independent project of at least 15 higher education credits, or
• acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way.

Desirable/meritorious qualifications

Previous experience in computational biology, bioinformatics, or general programming is meritorious. Experience working in population genetics and evolutionary biology/genomics or proteomics is also meritorious. Experience in mathematical modeling and statistics is meritorious.

Regulations for PhD students

Regulations for PhD students can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5 §§ 1-7 and at https://uu.varbi.com/center/tool/position/900807/edit/tab:2/uu.se/medarbetare/organisation-styrning/regler/?languageId=3 (https://uu.varbi.com/center/tool/position/900807/edit/tab:2/uu.se/medarbetare/organisation-styrning/regler/?languageId=3).

About the Employment

The employment is temporary, according to HF Chapter 5 § 7. The scope is full-time. Start date 2026-05-04 or by agreement. Place of employment: Uppsala.

For inquiries about the position, please contact: Jennifer James, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).

Welcome with your application no later than 2026-03-02, UFV-PA 2026/365.

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international position. The ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a difference in society. Our most important asset is all 7,600 employees and 53,000 students who, with curiosity and commitment, make Uppsala University one of the most exciting workplaces in the country.

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/ (https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/).

The employment may be subject to security vetting. A prerequisite for employment in the case of security vetting is that the applicant is approved.

We kindly decline offers of recruitment and advertising assistance.

Applications are received in Uppsala University's recruitment system.

Union representatives: Saco-S - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), Seko - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), ST (OFR/S) - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])