Bioinformatics of somatic evolution in mammals: DNA damage, mutations and ageing

Applications are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Molecular Biology and Genetics programme. The position is available from November 2026 or later. 

Title:
Bioinformatics of somatic evolution in mammals: DNA damage, mutations and ageing 

Research area and project description:
The research group of Prof. Mikkel Heide Schierup invites applications for a fully-funded PhD position focused on the computational genomics of somatic evolution in mammals and its consequences for ageing. You will join the Bioinformatics Research Centre (BiRC) at Aarhus University to model and analyse unprecedented, large-scale PacBio HiFi datasets and uncover the evolutionary rules of somatic mutations. 

The project is funded by a Novo Nordisk Foundation Distinguished Investigator grant, the project will generate a massive, unique dataset of state-of-the-art PacBio Revio HiFi sequencing data spanning 11 diverse tissues from five mammalian species with vastly different lifespans: humans, marmosets, dogs, mice, and naked mole-rats. It will also include single nuclei transcriptomics data from the same tissue in order to relate to DNA repair gene expression.

The primary objective of this PhD project is to develop novel analytical approaches to map the invisible genomic "scars" of DNA damage and mutations with single-molecule accuracy. By tracing these mutational signatures across species, you will contribute to answering the unresolved questions: why do some animals live decades longer than others, and how do our tissues fundamentally age? 

The specific projects within this position will be developed jointly by the PhD student and the supervisor. They will be a mixture of methods development and computational analysis, involving the extraction of signals from petabyte-scale data. Some possible projects could be:

• Expanding mutation calling pipelines to automatically process massive genomic files and detect complex structural variants, de novo microsatellite events, and transpositions.
• Identify the determinants of different types of DNA damage and how these are differentially repaired by cell repair systems
• Designing statistical likelihood-based algorithms to classify single sequence reads to specific cell types (e.g., neurons vs. glia) based on complex CpG methylation patterns.
• Developing and training transformer-based genomic foundation models to infer single-strand DNA damage (such as oxidation, cross-linking, and deamination) directly from HiFi sequencing kinetics.
• Creating compelling data visualisations and utilising the genomeDK HPC cluster to handle large computational loads.

For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. When - as here - you apply for a specific project, please simply copy the project description above, and upload it as a PDF in the application. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found.  

Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants for this position must hold a BSc or a Master’s degree (or equivalent level of education) in bioinformatics, computer science, data science, statistical genetics, or quantitative molecular biology.

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with:

Programming skills in Python and R for high-throughput data analysis, pipeline automation, and advanced data visualization.

An interest in deep learning, foundation models, and statistical modelling.

A wish to tackle entirely uncharted territory in long-read sequencing and structural variant analysis.

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Section Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C, building 1872, 3. Floor.  

Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information for this project are invited to contact: Professor Mikkel Heide Schierup, mheide@birc.au.dk 

How to apply:

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see the Application guide. Please read the Application guide thoroughly before applying.

When ready to apply, go to https://phd.nat.au.dk/for-applicants/apply-here/ (Note, the online application system opens 1 June 2026)

1. Choose August 2026 Call with deadline 1 August 2026 at 23:59 CEST.
2. You will be directed to the call and must choose the programme “Molecular Biology and Genetics”.
3. In the boxed named “Study”: In the dropdown menu, please choose: “Bioinformatics of somatic evolution in mammals: DNA damage, mutations and ageing (BsemDN)” 

Please note:

• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.

At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website, you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.