"PhD candidate 'Statistical genetics'"

Are you passionate about improving diagnostics and care for people with rare diseases? As a PhD candidate in bioinformatics or genomics at Radboudumc, you will develop statistical and computational methods to uncover novel gene-disease associations, investigate disease mechanisms, and link genomic findings to clinical outcomes. You will be part of a large pan-European research initiative that brings together researchers, clinicians, and patient communities. Your project focuses on analyzing multi-omics sequencing data from thousands of patients with rare genetic disorders, using both distributed and federated computational approaches.

Your key responsibilities include:

• Analyzing large-scale genomic datasets using innovative computational techniques.
• Integrating genomic, functional, and clinical data to explore disease mechanisms and identify new gene-disease associations.
• Contributing to international discovery efforts, such as annual “Solvathons” and multi-center data challenges.
• Collaborating within Data Interpretation Task Forces (DITFs) to improve variant interpretation and assess the clinical relevance of both coding and non-coding variants.
• Helping to shape best practice guidelines for genomic data interpretation across European Reference Networks (ERNs).

What we offer: This PhD position provides the opportunity to work at the interface of genomics, data science, and clinical research in a highly collaborative and international environment. You will benefit from strong mentorship, access to unique datasets, and the chance to make a direct impact on rare disease diagnosis, treatment, and patient care.

Requirements: You are a motivated researcher with a strong interest in genetics, data analysis, and international collaboration. You hold (or are about to complete) a Master’s degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, computer science, or a related field. You have strong programming and data analysis skills, for example in Python, R, and Linux. You are passionate about applying computational methods to biomedical challenges. You have a keen interest in genetics, genomics, and the biology of rare diseases. You are able to work independently while thriving in a collaborative, international research environment.

Conditions of employment: Fixed-term contract for 4 years. Salary starts at scale 10A, step 0 (€3,108 based on a full-time appointment) and progresses to scale 10A, step 3 (€3,939 based on a full-time appointment) over 4 years. Includes 8% holiday allowance, 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and additional bonuses for unsocial hours. 176 vacation hours per year based on a 36-hour working week.