Research Associate in Holobiont Computational Systems Biology

Join the Tanaka group at Imperial College London as a Research Associate and be a part of the national Centre for Holobiont Research. Holobiont is a term that refers to a larger organism, such as animal, plant or fungus, together with its associated community of microbes and is an underexplored area of research and innovation.

This Research Associate role is funded by the Leverhulme Trust and will research and develop computational frameworks to identify minimal systematic relationships and interaction network structures that define “healthy” functioning vs disrupted microbiome-host relationships in holobionts.

The 3-year post will see the researcher work with Centre for Holobiont Research members to develop an in silico framework to model and simulate microbiome dynamics, and generate virtual (in silico) microbiomes of different hosts (. human skin, frog skin, fruit skin, plant roots, bee guts) by fitting the in silico model to data of microbiome fractions from collaborators. This will enable us to identify key design principles (microbiome interaction network features/motifs) of stable and robust holobionts, to make the microbiome more robust to disturbances.

The Research Associate will get to work on this novel project and work closely with collaborators from diverse research backgrounds. They will use state-of-the-art computational modelling and machine learning techniques in a collaborative working environment.

Applicants should have excellent analytical skills, programming expertise, and experience in machine learning and mechanistic modelling. They should have a PhD in computational systems biology, applied mathematics, or a closely related discipline, with previous experience in statistical and machine learning methods and knowledge in basic biology. Applicants close to completion of their PhDs will also be considered where experience is directly relevant. The candidate should have excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills and enthusiasm for exposure to a diversity of scientific projects. They should be able to work independently and as part of a team. Experience in working with clinical datasets and knowledge of asthma pathophysiology will be advantageous.

We offer a very supportive and stimulating work environment. If you are a talented and ambitious researcher with a passion for scientific discovery and a desire to make a difference in society, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity. The selected researcher will join a friendly and inclusive team that champions diversity and prioritises the career growth of its researchers over everything else.

Please see the job description and person specification document associated with this advert for the full list of criteria.