Postdoctoral Research Associate in Molecular Evolution and Functional Genomics (Fixed Term)

We invite applications for a 4-year Postdoctoral Research Associate position in Molecular Evolution and Functional Genomics, jointly supervised by Dr Gamze Gursoy and Dr Nicola De Maio at the University of Cambridge.

The postholder will be expected to plan and manage their own research and administration, with guidance where required. They will take an active role in both research groups, contribute to the development of graduate student research skills, participate in seminars and workshops, and collaborate with researchers across computational biology, genetics, evolution, genomics, and applied mathematics.

The successful candidate will work on an interdisciplinary project at the interface of molecular evolution, functional genomics, regulatory genomics, phylogenetics, machine learning, and 3D genome biology. The project will use large-scale comparative genomic resources to investigate how gene regulatory elements evolve across the tree of life, with a particular focus on whether evolutionary constraint propagates between physically interacting genomic elements.

Applicants should have completed, or be close to completing, a PhD in molecular evolution, evolutionary genomics, computational biology, functional genomics, bioinformatics, phylogenetics, statistical genetics, statistics, machine learning, or a closely related quantitative field.

Please be advised that, in accordance with funding requirements, applicants must not have resided in the UK for more than 24 months immediately prior to the proposed start date.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A strong background in molecular evolution, evolutionary genomics, comparative genomics, phylogenetics, or functional genomics.
• Experience analysing large-scale genomic or epigenomic data, such as genome assemblies, multiple sequence alignments, regulatory elements, chromatin accessibility, gene annotations, or comparative genomic datasets.
• Strong quantitative and computational skills, ideally including Python, R, Julia, C/C++, or similar programming languages.
• Familiarity with evolutionary models, substitution-rate estimation, phylogenetic methods, comparative genomics, or probabilistic modelling.
• Interest in gene regulation, enhancer and promoter biology, 3D genome organisation, chromatin architecture, or regulatory sequence evolution.
• Interest in machine learning, deep learning, DNA language models, or large-scale sequence modelling would be advantageous.
• Interest in Hi-C, chromatin conformation data, genome annotation, or regulatory genomics would be advantageous but is not essential.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment.

This position is particularly well suited to a computational researcher who understands both evolutionary theory and functional genomics, and who is excited by the challenge of connecting molecular evolution with genome regulation across deep evolutionary time. Candidates do not need to have expertise in every component of the project but should have strong quantitative foundations and a clear interest in learning across disciplinary boundaries. We especially encourage applications from candidates with training in molecular evolution or phylogenetics who wish to engage more deeply with regulatory genomics and machine learning, or from functional genomics researchers with strong computational skills and an interest in evolutionary modelling.

Start date: 01 October 2026

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 4 years in the first instance.