PhD Student in Computational Genomics

672_25_LS_CG_R1

PhD Student in Computational Genomics (R1)

Wednesday, 19 November, 2025

Reference: 672_25_LS_CG_R1

Job title: PhD Student in Computational Genomics (R1)

About BSC

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is the leading supercomputing center in Spain. It houses MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, was a founding and hosting member of the former European HPC infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), and is now hosting entity for EuroHPC JU, the Joint Undertaking that leads large-scale investments and HPC provision in Europe. The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies in order to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D into both computer and computational science (life, earth and engineering sciences) under one roof, and currently has over 1000 staff from 60 countries.

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We are particularly interested for this role in the strengths and lived experiences of women and underrepresented groups to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights in science and IT research. In instances of equal merit, the incorporation of the under-represented sex will be favoured.

We promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, fostering an environment where each and every one of us is appreciated for who we are, regardless of our differences.

If you consider that you do not meet all the requirements, we encourage you to continue applying for the job offer. We value diversity of experiences and skills, and you could bring unique perspectives to our team.

Context And Mission

One of the current research lines of the Computational Genomics group deals with the generation of risk scores that inform how likely a person is to develop a common disease throughout her/his life. These scores have genetic and environmental information that is combined to obtain a global score for each disease. We seek complementing the team by opening a PhD position for students with a bioinformatics or computer-related background. The candidate will be involved and learn about the design, development and application of bioinformatic solutions for the genomic analysis of large cohorts. In particular, the student will handle, analyse and interpret genetic and environmental information in the context of disease, using the UKBiobank cohort. This activity will be carried out within a national project that aims to improve the characterization of the genetic basis of complex diseases and their translation into the clinics.

The candidate will participate in the scientific design of the project, as well as in the design and implementation of statistical and computational frameworks for the management, curation, analysis and interpretation of disease data. This position offers a great opportunity to enter and evolve within the growing field of computational biomedicine.

Priority will be given to highly motivated, persistent and proactive candidates with a biological and/or computer-related background and the ambition to develop their careers in computational genomics and biomedicine. More information about the group and the activity can be found at:

Key Duties

• Use of bioinformatics tools that meet the analysis needs of the group and collaborative projects
• Designing genomic data analysis pipelines
• Management and integration of the results of different pipelines
• Genomic analysis

Requirements

• Education
• BSc in biological, computer sciences, mathematics, statistics, physics and other related fields
• MSc in bioinformatics, biostatistics, or genomics
• Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience
• Knowledge of genetic modeling of X chromosome associations in relation to complex traits
• Knowledge of UK Biobank database structure, clinical and environmental data
• Knowledge of drug databases
• Knowledge of genetic pleiotropy analyses
• Knowledge of machine learning algorithms
• Experience with UNIX/Linux environments
• Experience with python/R/java
• Experience with the use of genomic tools
• Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience
• Proficiency in Spanish and other European languages would be advantageous
• Fluency in spoken and written English
• Competences
• Good communication and presentation skills
• Capable of team working

Conditions

• The position will be located at BSC within the Life Sciences Department
• We offer a full-time contract (37.5h/week), a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, support to the relocation procedures
• Duration: One year (renewable)
• Holidays: 23 paid vacation days plus 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement
• Salary: we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona
• Starting date: 01/01/2026

Applications procedure and process

All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and contain:

• A full CV in English including contact details
• A cover/motivation letter with a statement of interest in English, clearly specifying for which specific area and topics the applicant wishes to be considered. Additionally, two references for further contacts must be included. Applications without this document will not be considered.

Development of the recruitment process

The selection will be carried out through a competitive examination system ("Concurso-Oposición"). The recruitment process consists of two phases:

• Curriculum Analysis: Evaluation of previous experience and/or scientific history, degree, training, and other professional information relevant to the position. - 40 points
• Interview phase: The highest-rated candidates at the curriculum level will be invited to the interview phase, conducted by the corresponding department and Human Resources. In this phase, technical competencies, knowledge, skills, and professional experience related to the position, as well as the required personal competencies, will be evaluated. - 60 points. A minimum of 30 points out of 60 must be obtained to be eligible for the position.

The recruitment panel will be composed of at least three people, ensuring at least 25% representation of women.

In accordance with OTM-R principles, a gender-balanced recruitment panel is formed for each vacancy at the beginning of the process. After reviewing the content of the applications, the panel will begin the interviews, with at least one technical and one administrative interview. At a minimum, a personality questionnaire as well as a technical exercise will be conducted during the process.

The panel will make a final decision, and all individuals who participated in the interview phase will receive feedback with details on the acceptance or rejection of their profile.

At BSC, we seek continuous improvement in our recruitment processes. For any suggestions or comments/complaints about our recruitment processes, please contact recruitment [at] bsc [dot] es.

For more information, please follow this link.

Deadline

The vacancy will remain open until a suitable candidate has been hired. Applications will be regularly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted.

OTM-R principles for selection processes

BSC-CNS is committed to the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers of the European Commission and the Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment principles (OTM-R). This is applied for any potential candidate in all our processes, for example by creating gender-balanced recruitment panels and recognizing career breaks etc.

BSC-CNS is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by applicable state or local law.

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