Postdoctoral position in Computational Biology

Introduction

UNIL is a leading international teaching and research institution, with over 5,000 employees and 17,000 students split between its Dorigny campus, CHUV and Epalinges. As an employer, UNIL encourages excellence, individual recognition and responsibility.

Presentation

The comparative genomics lab jointly headed by Prof. Christophe Dessimoz and Dr. Natasha Glover is seeking candidates for a Postdoctoral (Premier Assistant) position at the Departments of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Working at the interface between biology and computer science, the Dessimoz Lab ( https://comparative-genomics.ch/ ) seeks to better understand evolutionary and functional relationships between genes, genomes, and species. The group is also a member of the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics.

Job information

Expected start date in position : 01/01/2026 or to be agreed

Contract length : 1 year

Activity rate : 100%

Workplace : Lausanne-Dorigny

Your responsibilities

The details of each research project will be defined together with Prof. Dessimoz depending on the main interests and competencies of the Postdoc and ongoing opportunities in the lab. Most of his/her time will be dedicated to research. The University of Lausanne has a strong training record and a minor contribution to teaching is thus expected, including the possibility of supervising masters students. The job description specifies:

75% Personal research
20% Participation in teaching activities and masters student supervision
5% Lab or institutional tasks

Your qualifications

We are seeking to recruit candidates with either a PhD degree in biology with solid computational and quantitative skills, or with a PhD in a quantitative area (mathematics, computer science, physics, engineering, ...) with prior research activity in biological sciences.

The ideal candidate should have a proven research track record including prior experience publishing in international peer-reviewed journal, and a high degree of motivation. Note that we support the principles of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Candidates need to have demonstrated programming skills—ideally in the areas of bioinformatics, computational biology, and comparative genomics. Experience with evolutionary and comparative genomics analyses would be an advantage. The applicants should have a strong ability to work in a team.

Experience in large-scale genomic analyses is an asset for this position.

A requirement from the funder (Swiss National Science Foundation) is that postdocs can only be employed up to 5 years after obtaining their PhD (6 in case of maternity leave).

Desirable interpersonal skills

• Ability to plan research goals with other team members and work to deadlines


• Good cooperative skills with other researchers and team members


• Good communication skills, ability to keep an open mind and to communicate your ideas to others


• Enjoy mentoring colleagues and teaching students

What the position offers you

We offer a stimulating working environment within a multicultural, diverse, and dynamic academic setting, with many opportunities for professional training and career development.

The Department of Computational Biology brings together researchers using computational approaches and taking advantage of data generated by high-throughput technologies to address a plethora of biological and medical questions: https://www.unil.ch/dbc/home.html . 

Although French is the common language in the Lausanne region, research activities, interactions, and seminars in both departments are conducted in English.

Contact for further information

Prof. Christophe Dessimoz

Email: E-Mail schreiben

Your application

Application deadline: September 21th, 2025

Applications should include the following information:

• A cover letter detailing your research interests, experience and specific motivation for joining the Dessimoz Lab, as well as your expectations from this position. 


• your CV


• a copy of your PhD certificate (or, if you will be graduating shortly, the expected graduation date)


• reference to best paper accompanied by a brief supporting statement (approx. 200 words)


• the names of two or three referees.

To be considered, application documents must be uploaded online through the University of Lausanne recruitment platform.

Additional information

UNIL is committed to:
•    equality, diversity and inclusion within its community;
•    ensuring an open and respectful environment that is conducive to personal development;
•    offering working conditions that facilitate work-life balance;
•    supporting early career researchers.

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unil.ch/families
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