DESCRIPTION

Two 3-year Ph.D. fellowships supported by the European Commission are available starting on 1st September 2005 with the Bioinformatics team (http://www.esat.kuleuven.ac.be/~dna/bioi/) at the University of Leuven under the supervision of Prof. Yves Moreau and Prof. Bart De Moor.

The research project, part of the EU funded BIOPTRAIN program, covers the analysis of large-scale compendia of microarray data and genomic data fusion, pattern discovery for the analysis of regulatory networks, and Bayesian modeling of gene networks. Particular emphasis is set on the use of probabilistic graphical models (hidden Markov models, Bayesian networks, and so on) and Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods to tackle those problems. The use of kernel methods will also be considered.

Our bioinformatics group (http://www.esat.kuleuven.ac.be/~dna/bioi/) is highly dynamic (currently about twenty members) and the University of Leuven is one of Europe?s leading universities in the Life Sciences, which offers many collaboration opportunities. Leuven is a charming Renaissance-style city next to Brussels. It is ideally located in Europe with excellent flight and train connections to the rest of Europe.

REQUIREMENTS

The ideal candidate will have a master's degree (or equivalent) with a background in one of the following areas: engineering, computer science, statistics, physics, chemistry, or biology. Knowledge of fundamental aspects of computer science (algorithms and data structures, programming languages) is required. Previous knowledge of artificial intelligence, statistics, or bioinformatics is highly desirable.

EMPLOYMENT AND COMPENSATION

Fellows will be recruited under an employment contract and will benefit from travel and mobility allowances. Additional details about these positions (in particular, salary and eligibility) can be found in the EST Handbook (http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/fp6/mariecurie-actions/pdf/est_hand.pdf; pp.21-29). Women in particular are invited to apply. If several applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, EU rules on equal opportunities will be applied.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications should include your CV, a one-page statement of your research interests and motivations for pursuing Ph.D. studies, and contact information (including email addresses) for at least two references. Please send your application preferably by email to Yves.Moreau[at]esat.kuleuven.ac.be (using PDF or plain text for your attachments) or by surface mail to:

Prof. Yves Moreau

K.U.Leuven
ESAT-SCD (Bioinformatics)
Kasteelpark Arenberg 10
B-3001 Leuven
Belgium

Yves.Moreau[at]esat.kuleuven.ac.be

DEADLINE

The deadline for applications is June 1, 2005. Selected finalists will be asked to participate in an interview.

10 other EST positions are currently open with the other BIOPTRAIN partners, see
http://www.bioptrain.org/index.php/Applications