Associate Professor in Bioinformatics and Microbial Genomic Research - DTU Food

Infectious diseases caused by bacterial, viral and parasitic pathogens, including those that are antimicrobial resistant, constitute one of the biggest threats to human and planetary health. Understanding the evolution, emergence and transmission of these pathogens requires in-depth studies of their genomes and especially reliable and reproducible bioinformatic tools for precise and rapid alignment and mapping of sequence reads from various sequencing platforms. 

We are seeking a candidate for a vacant position as Associate Professor in bioinformatics and microbial genomics to further advance our development of novel and optimised bioinformatic tools and pipelines for both conducting studies to better understand the evolution, ecology and emergence of infectious diseases and to develop online bioinformatic tools for use by others. A primary focus will be on developing novel or improved algorithms for precise prediction of features from sequence reads.

You will be affiliated with the Genomic Epidemiology Research Group, which primary task is to conduct targeted research with the aim of understanding, predicting and preventing infectious diseases in humans and animals, and supporting global detection, surveillance and control. The research group combines expertise in conventional and molecular microbiology with epidemiology and bioinformatics.

Responsibilities and qualifications
Your main responsibility will be to develop novel or improve existing algorithms and conduct bioinformatic investigations aimed at improving our understanding of the evolution and function of microbiomes. You will also be responsible for ensuring computational efficient solutions fitting the complexity of the problem, as well as matching the computational power available, ranging from high performance computers to ordinary laptops. In this position it is important to understand interdisciplinary and integrative research and collaboration across scientific disciplines, and capable of integrating several tools from various research disciplines together to address AMR and pathogen problems in simple and complex microbial communities. 

You will contribute to the institute educational and teaching vision and will be expected to either develop a new course to align with the evolving teaching vision of the group and the institute or revise already existing courses to complement such vision. 

With assistance from other group members, you will analyse the output, draw conclusions and present the outputs. A task in this position will be to communicate research results by presenting data at project meetings and international conferences and write reports and manuscripts for publication.

You will engage in the general work carried out by the research group, including discussions and planning of strategies and projects, drafting research grant proposals, etc., but also supervise students and contribute to the group’s teaching activities.

Daily work will be in close collaboration with other researchers in the Genomic Epidemiology group as well as national and international partners.

We Expect You To Have:

• Experience in developing novel algorithms and with coding in C/C++ and preferably python, but also experience with Unix-based systems
• Extensive knowledge in microbial genomic and of existing bioinformatic algorithms and tools.
• Experience in genomic and metagenomic analyses and in antimicrobial resistance and pathogen research but also experience in large microbiological data analyses and presentations. 
• Teaching experience in teaching advanced and fundamental science classes for university students. 
• Good skills in collaborations and bringing new ideas, along with experience in writing scientific grant applications and securing funding.

You must be responsible for the teaching of courses. DTU employs two working languages: Danish and English. You are expected to be fluent in at least one of these languages, and in time are expected to master both.

As formal qualification you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent) as well as academic qualifications equivalent to those obtained by holding an assistant professorship and documented didactic/pedagogic training.

You will be assessed against the responsibilities and qualifications stated above and the following general criteria:

• Experience and quality of teaching 
• Research experience 
• Research vision and potential
• International impact and experience 
• Societal impact
• Innovativeness, including commercialization and collaboration with industry
• Leadership, collaboration, and interdisciplinary skills
• Communication skills
• Salary and terms of employment 
• The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. 

Starting date is 1 February 2026 (or according to mutual agreement). The position is a full-time position.

The workplace is DTU Lyngby Campus. 

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

• Further information 
• Further information may be obtained from Professor Frank Aarestrup, tel.: +45 35 88 62 81.

You can read more about DTU National Food Institute at www.food.dtu.dk/english/ and the research group at Genomic Epidemiology.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark.

• Application procedure
• Please submit your online application no later than 3 October 2025 (23:59 Danish time). 

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• Application (cover letter)
• Vision for teaching and research 
• CV including employment history, list of publications indicating scientific highlights, H-index and ORCID (see http://orcid.org/)
• Teaching portfolio including documentation of teaching experience
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD)

You can learn more about the recruitment process here.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU National Food Institute
DTU National Food Institute conducts research into and disseminates - through advice, innovation and teaching - sustainable and value-creating solutions in the area of food and health for the benefit of society. The vision is to make a difference by generating future prosperity through research into food and health. The institute works to prevent disease and promote health, develop new and better food products for a growing population and create sustainable technological solutions, including biosolutions. The institute’s tasks are carried out in interdisciplinary collaboration within e.g. nutrition, chemistry, toxicology, microbiology, epidemiology, modelling, and technology. This is achieved through a strong academic environment of international top class with correspondingly skilled researchers and employees. The Institute employs approximately 350 staff members.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.