Vacant job

Doctoral Student in Population Genomics

Do you want to work with population genomics, supported by competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Do you want an employer that invests in sustainable employee engagement and offers secure, advantageous working conditions? Welcome to apply for a doctoral position at Uppsala University.

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international standing. Our mission is to conduct research and education of the highest quality and to interact with society in various ways. Our most important asset is all the individuals who, with their curiosity and engagement, make Uppsala University one of the most exciting workplaces in the country. Uppsala University has 54,000 students, 7,600 employees, and a turnover of 8 billion SEK.

We are looking for a doctoral student who wishes to become part of our research team. The research will be conducted at the Günther Lab within the Human Evolution Program at the Department of Organismal Biology (Evolutionary Biology Center, Uppsala University, Sweden). The Günther group specifically studies human prehistory in Europe and the genomic history behind animal domestication, while simultaneously developing and improving population genomics and bioinformatics methods to analyze paleogenomic data. The group is funded by research grants from Formas, the Swedish Research Council, and the Swedish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences. The Human Evolution Program has a broad interest in population genetics and human evolution, providing many opportunities for collaboration with postdocs and doctoral students working on related projects. The program is also part of the Center for the Human Past. The research environment is international, with English as the working language. For more information about the Human Evolution Program, visit: https://www.iob.uu.se/research/human-evolution (https://www.iob.uu.se/research/human-evolution) and Torsten Günther's group, visit https://www.gunther-lab.org (https://www.gunther-lab.org).

Responsibilities

The doctoral project will be part of the group's existing research directions. The doctoral student will analyze modern and ancient genomic data from humans and domestic animals to understand their demographic history, trace migrations, and identify signs of selection. The work involves bioinformatics analysis using Uppsala University's computer clusters, implementation of scripts, running population genetics software, as well as programming and statistical analysis.

Qualifications

Eligibility for PhD studies requires that the applicant has:

• completed an advanced level degree in biology or bioinformatics, or
• completed at least 240 higher education credits, including at least 60 credits at advanced level, including an independent project of at least 15 credits, or
• acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

We are looking for a person with good knowledge and experience in bioinformatics analysis and good knowledge of population genetics, with experience working with paleogenomics. Great importance will be attached to personal qualities such as:

• Good analytical skills, good collaboration and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Good planning and organizational skills, responsible.
• Good ability to express oneself well orally and in writing in English.

Desirable/Additional Qualifications

Experience from large-scale population genomics analyses, statistics, bioinformatics, programming, and implementation of bioinformatics pipelines is desirable.

About the Position

The doctoral education comprises four years of full-time studies. The position may be combined with teaching (maximum 20%), which extends the employment period by a corresponding amount. Regulations for doctoral students can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, Sections 1–7, as well as in the university's rules and guidelines. Local guidelines are established for salary placement. More information about doctoral education can be found under TEKNAT – PhD level.

The position is full-time. Start date: October 1, 2026, or as agreed. Location: Uppsala.

Information about the position is provided by: University Lecturer Torsten Günther, +46 18-471 26 97, [email protected]

The application should include 1) a letter describing yourself, your research interests, and why you want to pursue a PhD, 2) a short description of your education, especially in population genetics/genomics, statistics, bioinformatics, and other related fields, 3) a CV, 4) a copy of your master's degree, 5) names and contact details (address, email, and phone number) of at least two reference persons, 6) relevant publications (including master's thesis). The application should be written in English.

Please submit your application no later than August 7, 2026, Ref. UFV-PA 2026/1992.

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international standing. 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 7,500 employees and 53,000 students who, with curiosity and engagement, 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 a security clearance. In the case of a security clearance, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved.

We decline offers of recruitment and advertising assistance.

Applications are received in Uppsala University's recruitment system.

Trade Union Representatives: Saco-S – [email protected], Seko – [email protected], ST (OFR/S) – [email protected]