Offer Description
The institute
The IRD is a multidisciplinary French public research organization that, for nearly 80 years, has been engaged in equitable partnerships with countries in the Global South and in France's overseas territories.
As a key player in the international development agenda, its priorities are aligned with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Together, the Institute's scientists and partners propose concrete solutions to address the global challenges facing societies and the planet. This win-win relationship makes science and innovation major drivers of development.
The Institute operates under the joint oversight of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
The research group
The DIADE research unit (Diversity, Adaptation, and Development of Tropical Plants; IRD-University of Montpellier-CIRAD) studies plant biodiversity, the adaptive mechanisms of plants, and their interactions with the environment; it also explores plant development mechanisms to develop new phenotypes needed in the context of climate change. To this end, the unit's teams employ a comprehensive range of approaches, tools, and methods, including genome analysis, biochemistry, physiology, microscopy, modeling, and data integration.
The unit focuses particularly on plants from tropical regions, as these are the areas facing the greatest challenges today: regions characterized by exceptional biodiversity, rapid population growth, sustained environmental pressure, and increased demand for crop production. The unit conducts its research primarily from its base in Montpellier, with fieldwork in Africa, Central and South America, and Asia.
Activities
As part of the project PEPR Agroecology and Digital Technology program, a bioinformatics engineer will be recruited to work under the supervision of the unit director, the bioinformatics engineer, and the bioinformatics researcher at the unit. The project aims to understand how plants and plant mixtures adapt to climate variations by using genomic and climate data to support the agroecological transition.
The project offers an opportunity for research in the genomics of adaptation and the study of climate-related evolution.
A key focus of the project will be to:
- Develop bioinformatics tools to analyze plant adaptation to climate variations and future climates. The approach will be based on the use of innovative methods to analyze data derived from pan-genome/pan-graph analysis.
- Build software components for these analyses and integrate them into an existing tool; validate the integration and development of scripts by analyzing datasets on different plant models; and provide tutorials and training on their use.
- Develop bioinformatics tools to account for uncertainty in DNA sequences (contamination, low coverage, data type, repeats) caused by ancient DNA (postmortem damage and significant fragmentation) in the bioinformatics analysis of diversity and its association with climate.
Your future team:
You will join the Dynadiv team at the UMR DIADE in Montpellier. The project is highly collaborative and involves regular exchanges with researchers from various research units (AGAP, GDEC) and institutes (INRAE, CIRAD, MNHN).
Requirements
Research Field: Computer science » Other
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
Technical Skills:
- Proficiency with UNIX systems and experience with data processing on HPC, knowledge of containerization (Docker, AppTainer)
- Proficiency in the Python and R programming languages, and, if possible, a basic understanding of another language such as C.
- Knowledge of biology and sequencing data analysis
Soft Skills (Interpersonal and Personal Skills):
- Independence and attention to detail
- Ability to work in a team
- Ability to manage interactions with multiple researchers
The application package must include:
Specific Requirements
You hold a Level 7 degree, an engineering degree, and/or a master's degree with experience in bioinformatics
Additional Information
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: IRD
Country: France
Geofield
Contact
State/Province: Occitanie
City: Montpellier
Website: https://www.ird.fr/occitanie
Street: 911 Avenue Agropolis, 34394 Montpellier
Postal Code: 34000