********************GradStudentPositions********************
PhD position in population genetics and conservation genomics of corals (f/d/x/m)
Background
The Marine Conservation group
of Prof. Dr. Iliana Baums at HIFMB is looking for a PhD student
to study the population genetics and conservation genomics of reef
building corals in the Caribbean. Populations of reef-building corals
have declined dramatically and the Baums lab in collaboration with
international restoration and academic partners in Belize, Honduras,
the USA, Curacao, Mexico and the Dominican Republic are working together
to develop population management tools for these species.
In the Marine Conservation group at the HIFMB
in Oldenburg we use molecular techniques to answer fundamental questions
about marine evolution and ecology to guide coral reef conservation
efforts. The group currently has two focus areas: coral physiology and
symbiosis and coral restoration genomics.
Research at the HIFMB focuses on marine biodiversity and its importance
for the functioning of marine ecosystems. We aim to develop sensitive
strategies to measure and understand environmental and social processes
that influence or influenced by the change in biodiversity in marine
systems, and implement effective means to define a scientific basis
for marine conservation, marine governance, and ecosystem management
efforts. HIFMB is a highly interdisciplinary research environment
that currently brings together experts from 18 countries who focus
on contemporary yet distinct topics of research. Our growing research
portfolio to understand marine systems at the HIFMB spans from molecular
ecology to human geography, microbial metabolism to mathematical modeling
and art. As a cooperation between the University of Oldenburg (UOL)
and the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research (AWI), the HIFMB benefits from its access to a diverse set of
resources for cutting-edge research. The new building of the HIFMB offers
state-of-the-art wet-lab and computational resources. The HIFMB is located
in Oldenburg, a city in Northern Germany, which is a region that is home
to a large number of institutions dedicated to environmental and marine
research. In addition to the AWI and the ICBM, the institutions with
which the HIFMB researchers regularly interact include the Max-Planck
Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, the Center for Marine
Environmental Sciences (MARUM) at the University Bremen, and Leibniz
Centre for Tropical Marine Research in Bremen.
Your Tasks
You will..
* collect coral samples from both field and laboratory settings and
prepare them for experimental and genetic analyses.
* design, organize, and conduct experiments to investigate
population genetic structure, genetic load, inbreeding levels,
parentage, clonality, and adaptive signatures in corals and their
algal symbionts.
* generate and analyze physiological data, including growth and
reproductive performance, under experimental conditions.
* apply molecular and genomic approaches such as RNA sequencing and
DNA sequencing to assess adaptive potential and stress responses.
* integrate physiological and genomic datasets to develop
alternative conservation genetics strategies aimed at maximizing
adaptive capacity in threatened coral species.
* work closely with international collaborators and contribute to
interdisciplinary research projects.
* disseminate research outcomes through peer-reviewed publications,
conference presentations, and public data repositories.
More information is available under
https://www.awi.de/en/work-study/out-of-university/as-phd-student.html.
Your Profile
* Master's degree (or equivalent) in marine biology or molecular
ecology or related fields
* Strong background in population genetic theory and experience in
using molecular and bioinformatic tools
* Proficiency in at least one coding language (Phyton), and
proficiency in R
Preferred Qualifications and Skills
* A background in marine biology, experience with DNA/RNA
extractions and amplification
* Disposition to work in laboratory and field conditions
* Very good English knowledge (approximately equivalent to CEFR
level C1)
Further Information
* Contact in day-to-day work: collaboration mainly with more
than 5 people
* Communication: predominantly internal (with colleagues and other
departments) in the following ways
1. By telephone: occasionally (several times a month)
2. E-mail: frequently (daily or several times a week)
3. Video conferencing (e. g. Webex): frequently (daily or several
times a week)
4. Personal contact in presence: frequently (daily or several
times a week)
* Movement around the workplace: regularly over longer distances
(e.g. other buildings)
* Business trips: occasional (several times a year)
* Expeditions: occur
Please note that the general conditions listed serve as a guide and may
vary depending on the specific area of application.
For further information on the specific position, please reach out
to Prof. Dr. Iliana Baums (iliana.baums@hifmb.de; +49471 4831 2536).
If you have any general questions about the application process, our
Recruiting team will be glad to support you - please contact Sarah
Palme (bewerbungsmanagement@awi.de; +49471 4831 1853) In this overview
you will find further contact persons for various matters.
This position is limited to 3 years. The salary will be paid in accordance
with the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation
(Tarifvertrag des �ffentlichen Dienstes, TV�D Bund), up to salary
level 13 (66%). The place of employment will be Oldenburg.
All doctoral candidates will be members of AWI's postgraduate program
POLMAR or another graduate school and thus
benefit from a comprehensive training program and extensive support
measures. The AWI is characterized by
* Our scientific success - excellent research
* Collaboration and cooperation - intra-institute, national and
international, interdisciplinary
* Opportunities to develop - on the job and towards other positions
* An international environment - everyday contact with people from
all over the world
* Flexible working hours
* Health promotion and company fitness with Hansefit and Wellhub
* Support services and a culture of reconciling work and family
* Occupational pension provision (VBL)
AWI values diversity and actively promotes gender parity, as well as an
open, inclusive environment that provides equal opportunities. We are
convinced that diverse teams and a variety of perspectives enrich our
work and our daily collaboration. In a continuous process of learning and
reflection, we aim to ensure that all our employees can be themselves and
feel a sense of belonging. We welcome applications from qualified people
regardless of binary and non-binary genders, race and nationality, ethnic
and social background, religion, age, disabilities, neurodivergence,
sexual orientation, and other identities.
Applicants with disabilities will be given preference when equal
qualifications are present.
AWI fosters work-family compatibility in various
ways. As a new international member of our team, you can
be sure that we will help you settle in. Our Family Office
and International Office
will be glad to support you, even before you start at AWI.
We look forward to your application!
Please submit your application online only by February 15th, 2026
and include a letter of interest explaining your qualifications for
this position and how it fits with your career goals, as well as
your CV, graduate transcripts, and names and email addresses of three
references. We kindly ask you to apply in English. No photo is required -
we value your qualifications and experience.
Reference number: 26/5/G/HIFMB-b
"Baums, Iliana B"
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********************PostDocs********************
Postdoc in coral population genomics and conservation genetics (x/d/f/m)
Background
The Marine Conservation group of Dr. Iliana Baums (www.baumslab.org),
Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), seeks
a postdoc to study population genomics and conservation genetics of
reef-building corals in the Caribbean. HIFMB is
a cooperation between the University of Oldenburg
(UOL) and the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and
Marine Research (AWI) and has strong ties to regional institutions,
including the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (Bremen),
MARUM (University of Bremen), and the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine
Research (Bremen). HIFMB is located in Oldenburg, Northern Germany, a
hub for environmental and marine research. The institute brings together
experts from 18 countries and provides state-of-the-art wet-lab and
computational facilities.
Your Tasks
* Generate and analyze genomic data for reef-building corals,
including eukaryotic genome assembly and annotation, population
genomics, quantitative genetics, epigenetics, and gene
expression analyses
* Use population genomic approaches to estimate population
structure, history and introgression
* Use quantitative genetic approaches to estimate responses to
selection model alternative conservation genetic strategies such
as assisted gene flow and selective breeding
* Extract and sequence coral DNA and RNA
* Plan, execute, interpret, document, and troubleshoot
independent research
* Collaborate effectively with computational and experimental
team members
* Mentor junior lab members
* Contribute to manuscripts, grant proposals and reports, and
communicate results to peers and the public through presentations,
writing, and digital media
* Engage in professional development and acquire new skills as
needed
* Conduct work in both laboratory and field settings
Your Profile
* PhD in marine biology, bioinformatics, genetics, molecular
ecology, or a related field
* Strong background in population genetic theory
* Proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g.,
Python) and in R
* Willingness and ability to work in both lab and field environments
* Very good English knowledge (approximately equivalent to CEFR
level C1)
Preferred Qualifications and Skills
* Experience with system administration
* Experience making code and data openly available via
repositories/databases (e.g., GitHub, NCBI)
Further Information
* Contact in day-to-day work: collaboration mainly with more
than 5 people
* Communication: almost equal share (internal/external) in the
following ways
1. By telephone: occasionally (several times a month)
2. E-mail: frequently (daily or several times a week)
3. Video conferencing (e. g. Webex): frequently (daily or several
times a week)
4. Personal contact in presence: frequently (daily or several
times a week)
* Movement around the workplace: regularly over longer distances
(e.g. other buildings)
* Business trips: occasional (several times a year)
* Expeditions: occur
Please note that the general conditions listed serve as a guide and may
vary depending on the specific area of application.
For further information on the specific position, please reach out
to Prof Dr Iliana Baums (iliana.baums@hifmb.de; +49 (471)4831-2536).
If you have any general questions about the application process, our
Recruiting team will be glad to support you - please contact Sarah
Palme (bewerbungsmanagement@awi.de; +49(471)4831-1853) In this overview
you will find further contact persons for various matters.
This is a full-time position, limited to January 31st, 2029. It is also
suitable for part-time employment. The salary will be paid in accordance
with the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation
(Tarifvertrag des �ffentlichen Dienstes, TV�D Bund), up to salary
level 13. The place of employment will be Oldenburg.
All postdocs will register with AWI's postdoc office PROCEED
and thus gain access to a set of tailor-made career development tools.
The AWI is characterized by
* Our scientific success - excellent research
* Collaboration and cooperation - intra-institute, national and
international, interdisciplinary
* Opportunities to develop - on the job and towards other positions
* An international environment - everyday contact with people from
all over the world
* Flexible working hours
* Health promotion and company fitness with Hansefit and Wellhub
* Support services and a culture of reconciling work and family
* Occupational pension provision (VBL)
AWI values diversity and actively promotes gender parity, as well as an
open, inclusive environment that provides equal opportunities. We are
convinced that diverse teams and a variety of perspectives enrich our
work and our daily collaboration. In a continuous process of learning and
reflection, we aim to ensure that all our employees can be themselves and
feel a sense of belonging. We welcome applications from qualified people
regardless of binary and non-binary genders, race and nationality, ethnic
and social background, religion, age, disabilities, neurodivergence,
sexual orientation, and other identities.
Applicants with disabilities will be given preference when equal
qualifications are present. AWI fosters work-family compatibility
in various ways. As a new international member of our team,
you can be sure that we will help you settle in. Our Family Office
and International Office
will be glad to support you, even before you start at AWI. We look
forward to your application! Please submit your application online
only by February 22nd, 2026. We kindly ask you to apply in English. No
photo is required - we value your qualifications and experience.
Please include the following application materials:
* Two-page cover letter addressing: (a) motivation to join the
Marine Conservation group, (b) past research, (c) future research
plans, and (d) qualifications for the position
* CV (include a brief description of your role in each peer-reviewed
publication)
* Three reference letters
* Academic transcripts
* Degree certificates
Reference number: 26/10/G/HIFMB-b
While remote work is possible to the extent permitted, the primary
residence of the postdoc will have to be in Germany. International
applicants welcome.
Iliana Baums, Phd Professor and group leader, Marine Conservation Vice
Director, HIFMB
Helmholtz-Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University
of Oldenburg [HIFMB], Im Technologiepark 5, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz-Centre for Polar and Marine Research
[AWI], Bremerhaven, 27570, Germany
Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM),
School of Mathematics and Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universit�t
Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
Iliana.baums@hifmb.de
Fon: +49 471 4831-2543
Web: Thebaumslab.org
X: @iliana.baums
"Baums, Iliana B"
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golding@mcmaster.ca)
********************PostDocs********************
FWO-funded postdoctoral position in evolutionary genomics of sex
chromosomes and sex-specific recombination in anurans
A postdoctoral position is available in the Ma Lab: Evolutionary
Genomics of Sex(https://www.wmalab.com) in Research Group of Ecology,
Evolution and Genetics in Biology Department at the Vrije Universiteit
Brussel in Brussels, Belgium. Our lab aims to understand how sex
chromosomes and sex-determination systems originate and evolve, why they
are highly labile in some lineages but extremely stable in others, and
how recombination shapes these dynamics across the Tree of Life. The
successful candidate will work on research topic on evolution of sex
chromosomes and extreme heterochiasmy across anuran lineages, with
emphasis on:
- assembling and analysing large, repeat-rich frog genomes
- performing comparative genomics across lineages with different sex-
determining systems(XY, ZW, homomorphic vs. differentiated sex
chromosomes)
- investigating the drivers of sex chromosome turnover, transposable
elements and repeat landscapes
- analysing the evolution of sex-specific recombination rates and
landscapes
The project will involve field sampling and basic molecular lab work,
and will combine long-read genome assembly, comparative and population
genomics, and the analysis of recombination patterns and structural
variation. Depending on the candidate's interests and expertise, there
will also be opportunities to integrate cytogenetics and/or evo-devo
approaches. What we expect from you:
PhD in evolutionary biology, genomics, bioinformatics or a closely related
field. Solid expertise in evolutionary/population genomics and molecular
evolution, with a clear interest in sex chromosomes/sex determination,
recombination(heterochiasmy), transposable element evolution, or
genome evolution in non-model species. Proven experience analysing
high-throughput sequencing data, ideally including genome assembly
and/or comparative genomics (large or repeat-rich genomes are a plus).
Strong programming and data-analysis skills(e.g. Python and/or R, Unix)
and familiarity with reproducible workflows. Highly motivated to work
on frog genomes to understand sex chromosome turnover and recombination
landscapes, and to link genomic patterns to evolutionary mechanisms.
Valid EU (or equivalent) driving licence, prior fieldwork experience is
preferred Willingness to contribute to ongoing projects, co-supervise
MSc/BSc students and (optionally) take on a small amount of teaching.
Compliance with the mobility rule: you have not lived or worked in
Belgium for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the start of
the fellowship.
Please submit the application via VUB link by 10/03/2026:
https://jobs.vub.be/job/Elsene-Postdoctoral-researcher-in-evolutionary-genomics/1285868901/
CV(including publication list)
Cover letter(key qualifications, why you are interested, your research
directions/career goals)
Copy of PhD diploma
Contact details for three referees(who will be contacted after
shortlisting The position is initial for 12 months (renewable up
to 3 years upon positive evaluation), with planned starting date
01/06/2026 (with some flexibility). Questions about the position and in
general? Contact Prof. Wen-Juan Maat wen-juan.ma@vub.be
Wen-Juan Ma
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********************WorkshopsCourses********************
Course: Introduction to Viral Bioinformatics
Where: Glasgow, UK
When: Monday 15th June - Friday 19th June 2026
Webpage:
https://bioinformatics.cvr.ac.uk/training/introduction-to-viral-bioinformatics-training-course-2026/
Applications are now open for our annual training course in Viral
Bioinformatics. The Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre
for Virus Research (CVR) has been organising an annual training course
on Viral Bioinformatics since 2015 and applications are currently open
for the 2026 course which will run from Monday 15th June (9am start)
to Friday 19th June (12.30 finish).
The course offers a comprehensive introduction to Viral Bioinformatics and
comprises a 4.5 day program including lectures and practical exercises
tailored towards viral high throughput sequencing data sets. The course
is taught by members of the CVR bioinformatics team who have a wealth
of experience on a broad range of virological research questions. Topics
covered in the course include:
* Linux command line: introduction to working with the command line,
navigating the file system and manipulating files
* NGS reads and QC: introduction to next generation
sequencing, FASTQ reads, read trimming and quality control
(trim_galore, FASTQC)
* Reference assembly: aligning reads to a known reference, SAM/BAM
file manipulation and visualisation (bwa, samtools, tablet)
* Consensus calling: consensus sequence generation and variant
calling (samtools, ivar, lofreq)
* Phylogenetic analysis: introduction to multiple sequence
alignment, phylogenetic reconstruction and visualisation (mafft,
clustal, raxml, figtree)
* Metagenomics: de-novo assembly and quality assessment, viral
contig taxonomic classification and visualisation, and rapid k-mer
based metagenomics (spades, idba, quast, diamond, krona, kraken)
* Genomics: a dedicated session with the CVR genomics team who do a
huge range of viral (and host) high-throughput sequencing on
different platforms
* Nanopore: introduction to reference alignment and consensus
calling for Oxford Nanopore (MinION) data (minimap,
samtools, medaka)
* nf-core/viralrecon: introduction to using the nextflow nf-core
viral bioinformatics pipeline to run common viral
bioinformatics analyses
* Bash scripting: writing simple bash scripts to automate common
bioinformatic procedures
For more details including information on how to apply see the webpage:
https://bioinformatics.cvr.ac.uk/training/introduction-to-viral-bioinformatics-training-course-2026/
Richard Orton
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golding@mcmaster.ca)
********************WorkshopsCourses********************
Dear colleagues,
Transmitting Science is offering the course "Introduction to Bayesian
Inference in Practice" (10th edition).
Instructors: Dr. Daniele Silvestro (ETH Z�rich, Switzerland) and Dr.
Tobias Andermann (University of Uppsala, Sweden)
Course webpage:
https://www.transmittingscience.com/courses/statistics-and-bioinformatics/introduction-bayesian-inference-practice/
Bayesian methods have become standard practice in the fields of
phylogenetic inference, evolutionary (paleo)biology and genomics. On
this course, we will outline the relevant concepts and basic theory of
Bayesian methods and learn how to perform Bayesian inference in
practice.
We will demonstrate how to implement the most common algorithms to
estimate parameters based on posterior probabilities, such as Markov
Chain Monte Carlo samplers, and how to build hierarchical models. We
will also touch upon hypothesis testing using Bayes factors and Bayesian
variable selection.
After completion of the course, the participants will have gained a
better understanding of how the main Bayesian methods implemented in
many programs used in biological research work. Participants will also
learn how to model at least basic problems using Bayesian statistics and
how to implement the necessary algorithms to solve them. The aim is
that, by the end of the course, each participant will have written their
own MCMC - from scratch!
For any questions, please contact us at courses@transmittingscience.com
Haris
Haris Saslis, PhD
Course Coordinator
Transmitting Science
www.transmittingscience.com [1]
Links:
[1] http://www.transmittingscience.com
Haris Saslis - Transmitting Science
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********************Conferences********************
The 2026 Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE) Conference
will be held in Copenhagen between 28th June and 2ndJuly
If you are considering attending, please note that the deadline for
abstract submission and award application is 3 February 2026.
Abstracts may be submitted for oral presentations, flash talks,
or posters, and presenting authors are also encouraged to apply for
relevant awards
Full guidelines and submission details are
available at: https://smbe2026.org/abstracts/
On behalf of the organising committee
Tom Gilbert
Tom Gilbert
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