Summary
The Laboratory of Exercise and Health at ETH Zurich is seeking a highly motivated Bioinformatician at the postdoctoral level to lead single-cell and spatial transcriptomics analyses. This fixed-term position involves working within an international research environment focused on vascular biology, muscle physiology, and metabolism, specifically investigating the muscle microvascular niche and its role in skeletal muscle homeostasis and dysfunction.
Designation
Bioinformatician (Postdoctoral Level)
Research Area
- Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics
- Vascular Biology
- Muscle Physiology
- Metabolism
- Computational Biology
- Bioinformatics
Location
Zurich, Switzerland
Eligibility/Qualification
Profile
- Education: PhD degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, computational genomics, or a related quantitative field.
- Experience:
- Demonstrated hands-on experience analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing data (e.g., Seurat, Scanpy) from raw data processing through downstream analysis.
- Experience with spatial transcriptomics is a strong plus.
- Excellent scripting and data analysis skills in R and/or Python, with in-depth knowledge of relevant Bioconductor/scverse packages.
- Strong experience with collaborative development environments (e.g., GitHub/GitLab), version control, and maintaining well-documented, reusable repositories.
- Working experience with high-performance computing environments.
- Interests: A strong interest in skeletal muscle physiology and/or vascular biology; prior research exposure to these fields is a plus but not required.
- Skills:
- Good understanding of biological research questions and enthusiasm for close collaboration with wet-lab researchers.
- Strong communication skills, a team-oriented and service-minded approach, and the ability to work independently and take ownership of a research area.
- Advanced proficiency in English.
Job Description
As a Bioinformatician, you will lead all single-cell and spatial transcriptomics work, collaborating closely with an international team of PhD students and postdocs, and directly with Prof. De Bock. Your responsibilities will include:
- Designing, executing, and interpreting scRNAseq analyses of human (patient-derived) and mouse skeletal muscle samples, including cell (sub)population identification and annotation.
- Discussing and designing follow-up wet lab experiments with colleagues.
- Integrating scRNAseq datasets with other omics information (e.g., spatial transcriptomics, ATAC sequencing, metabolomics, multiplex imaging data).
- Performing cross-species (human–mouse) data integration to identify conserved and divergent cellular and molecular signatures.
- Applying and developing computational tools for cell-cell communication analysis (ligand-receptor interactions, signaling pathways) and constraint-based metabolic modeling (e.g., COMPASS, scFEA).
- Analyzing single-cell datasets generated from in vivo cell-cell interaction tracing models.
- Performing pseudobulk and differential expression analyses (e.g., edgeR) of scRNAseq/5’ECCITE-seq data from CRISPR perturbation screens.
- Applying in silico perturbation approaches to nominate candidate regulators of cellular crosstalk for downstream functional validation.
- Building, documenting, and maintaining reproducible bioinformatics pipelines, and supporting other lab members with transcriptomics and genomics data.
- Designing Shiny apps for data visualization for internal and potential external use in publications.
- Contributing to manuscript preparation, data visualization, and project reporting, and staying current with emerging single-cell and spatial genomics methods.
What We Offer
- A unique opportunity to lead the single-cell genomics workflow in a dynamic, collaborative, and internationally oriented lab.
- Access to state-of-the-art infrastructure at ETH Zurich, dedicated computational resources, and close interactions with other bioinformaticians within the institute and the Functional Genomics Center Zurich (www.fgcz.ch).
- A competitive salary in line with ETH Zurich regulations.
- An inclusive culture that promotes equality of opportunity, values diversity, and nurtures a respectful working and learning environment.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted exclusively through the online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.
Required Documents:
- CV
- A brief statement of motivation and research interests (maximum one page)
- Contact details of two references
For further information about the lab, visit www.musec.ethz.ch or find Katrien De Bock on LinkedIn. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Prof. Dr. Katrien De Bock at katrien-debock@ethz.ch (please note, no applications accepted via this email).
Last Date for Apply
Open Until Filled
Apply Link
