PhD Position in Generative Modeling of Human Development and Disease

• Develop generative models on single-cell and spatial genomics data from sequencing and imaging
• Apply models to human developmental and disease biology
• Build generative models of cell-cell communication to predict how cells react to signaling cues
• Develop joint models of regulation and dynamics to map regulatory principles
• Design interventions to steer cells toward desired molecular states and update models as new data arrive

Required:

Desirable:

• MSc in computer science, mathematics, physics, engineering, computational biology or related quantitative field
• Hands-on experience with biological data
• Strong skills and experience with PyTorch or JAX with statistical grounding
• GitHub account with code you have written
• Fluent English
• Experience with single-cell or spatial genomics data
• Contributions to open-source scientific software

• 100%
• Start: 1 January 2027 or later by mutual agreement
• Location: Basel (Universität Basel, 4000 Basel)
• Contact: Prof. Dr. Lange – write an email for questions

• Fully funded four-year PhD position
• Generous resources for computation and data generation
• Collaborative and supportive research environment
• Access to pediatric and adult clinical samples through hospital collaborations in Basel
• Internationally competitive salary and social benefits according to University of Basel rules
• Enrolment in International PhD Programme in Biomedicine with courses, skills training and career development
• One of Europe's densest life-science ecosystems nearby: ETH Zurich's D-BSSE, Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering, Miescher Institute, Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel, and proximity to global pharma companies
• High quality of life in international city at border of France and Germany