Postdoctoral Fellowship: Postdoctoral Fellow in Comparative QTLomics and Plant Functional Genomics

About the Position

The EvOmics group at Aarhus University’s Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG) invites applications for a postdoctoral fellow. The position is available from 1 October 2026 (or as soon as possible thereafter) and is a fixed-term, full-time appointment for three years (until 30 September 2029).

This role is part of the SNSF-funded project “AI-driven comparative QTLomics to accelerate crop improvement,” a collaboration with UniProt, the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, and Aalborg University. The project aims to unlock decades of scattered QTL knowledge from the plant genetics literature by combining AI-assisted expert curation, orthology inference, phylogenomics, functional annotation, and candidate gene prioritisation across crop species. The selected candidate will develop the computational tools for comparative QTLomics.

Key Responsibilities

• Collect and standardise functional information, including QTL data, RNA-seq, and Gene Ontology (GO) annotations
• Develop computational pipelines for QTL data integration and analysis
• Integrate phylogenomic and functional data using machine-learning approaches for candidate gene prioritisation
• Contribute to software and web-tool development
• Present results at international conferences

Required Qualifications

• PhD degree in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field
• Experience with programming in Python, R, or similar languages
• Background in machine learning or deep learning methods
• At least one first-author peer-reviewed publication
• Proficient in written and spoken English
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment

Advantageous or Desirable Qualifications

• Knowledge of genomics, transcriptomics, evolutionary biology, and plant biology
• Familiarity with large biological datasets and high-performance computing

What We Offer

• A welcoming and collaborative environment emphasising teamwork, professionalism, equality, and work-life balance
• Mentoring for career development
• Access to high-performance computational resources (including GPUs)
• A collaborative environment across research fields (plant biology, quantitative genetics, population genetics)
• Opportunities for collaboration and research visits with project partners
• Participation in international conferences and workshops

About the Host Institution

The Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG) is an innovative and interdisciplinary centre for research and education in quantitative genetics and genomics. QGG is an international organisation with 70 employees and visiting researchers from more than 20 countries. The centre performs basic and applied research in plant, livestock, and human quantitative genetics, focusing on artificial intelligence applied to agriculture and precision medicine, population genetics, and integrative genomics. QGG is located at the central campus in Aarhus and at the AU Flakkebjerg campus in newly renovated offices with well-developed research infrastructure, laboratories, equipment, and high-performing computing clusters. The place of work is C.F. Møllers Allé 3, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system by Sunday, 2 August 2026 at 23:59 CEST. The application must be in English and include:

• A curriculum vitae
• Degree certificate
• A complete list of publications
• A statement of future research plans and information about research activities
• Teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any)

Shortlisting will be used: after the deadline, the head of department selects candidates for evaluation. All applicants will be notified whether their application has been sent to an expert assessment committee. Selected applicants will be informed of the committee’s composition and given the opportunity to comment on the assessment concerning themselves.

Appointment is in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Salary depends on seniority. Research activities will be evaluated relative to actual research time; applicants are encouraged to specify periods of leave without research activities. Aarhus University provides relocation services and career counselling for international researchers and accompanying families. The university also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme for postdocs.

For further information, contact Tenure Track Assistant Professor Irene Julca ([email protected]).

Original vacancy