Post-doctoral Bioinformatician

Job Title – Post-doctoral Bioinformatician

Employer – Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Olsztyn, Poland

Job Description – The Lab of Dr Antonio Galvao is recruiting an experienced computational biologist to integrate the research programme on ovarian function in mouse models for maternal obesity. The escalating epidemic of overweight and obesity is a major burden for our health systems. Obesity leads to long-term health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or infertility. In the lab we use mouse models and/or in vitro systems of ovarian/follicular culture to study the impact of maternal obesity in ovarian function and oocyte biology. The project investigates particularly the impact of altered leptin signalling in the ovary, a major feature of obese mothers, on the establishment of oocyte epigenome and metabolic regulations in both gamete and surrounding granulosa cells throughout folliculogenesis. The present research programme benefits from the close collaboration with the Laboratory of Dr Gavin Kelsey, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK, a world leader in single cell transcriptome and methylome analysis. The appointed scientist will be responsible for undertaking the analysis of methylome, transcriptome and lipidome datasets generated within the programme.

The work will be dry-lab based mainly, data analysis and reporting.

This work will lead to important advances in our understanding of the impact of altered leptin signalling in oocyte epigenome establishment, profiling also metabolic and gene expression changes in granulosa cells and other underlying mechanisms.

Key areas of responsibility:

  • Quality control of NGS datasets,
  • Providing high-level support in bioinformatic analysis of genome-wide epigenomic datasets,
  • Integration and analysis of RNA-seq, BS-seq and other relevant datasets,
  • Application of bioinformatics methods to single-cell datasets,
  • Preparation of manuscripts, including sequence dataset submission to public repositories.

Person specification: Essential

  • Ph.D. in Bioinformatics or Computational biology, or Ph.D. in a Molecular biology or related discipline with a strong Bioinformatics component,
  • Working knowledge of epigenomic and transcriptomic analyses,
  • Programming in some of the main languages used in Bioinformatics (in particular R, Python, Java),
  • Working understanding of statistics and statistical programming environments,
  • Able to understand and communicate in English to a level appropriate for the position,
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team,
  • Excellent organisational skills, with good time management,
  • Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with staff at all levels,
  • Proactive, motivated, showing initiative to move projects forward,
  • Ability to make independent decisions and solve routine problems.

The post is initially available for 36 months, with the salary range of 85 000 – 98 000 PLN / year (before taxes/brutto), based on experience. Applications should be send to the address: a.galvao@pan.olsztyn.pl and will be accepted until 10th of June 2022. Interviews will be held soon after. We contact selected candidates who meet the requirements listed in the job offer.

Documents to present with the application:

  • Cover letter highlighting the suitability of the candidate to the post (max 2 pages),
  • CV (max 6 pages),
  • One contact reference (one of letters must be from the last supervisor/line manager).

For informal questions about the post please contact Dr Galvao (a.galvao@pan.olsztyn.pl).

For more information, please consult: www.pan.olsztyn.pl.

 

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Improving the quality of deer meat

Deer meat is already highly valued by gourmets, but can it be still improved? The research team of Dr. Anna Kononiuk from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS works on enhancing the the quality of red deer meat through development of innovative feed additives.

Red deer is an increasingly popular meat in recent years, also in Poland. Unfortunately, there are no feed additives on the market which are strictly dedicated to deer. This may soon change thanks to the research team of Dr. Anna Kononiuk, which is carrying out a project funded by „Inkubator Innowacyjności 4.0” entitled „Feed additive for feeding deer after a reproductive period, intended for meat raw material”. Feed additives – as the name suggests – are nothing but additives to feed. They do not replace normal food, but when properly supplemented, they can offer various benefits to the animal. We asked Dr. Anna Kononiuk are the functions of the feed additive she is developing – both for animals and for consumers.

Marcin Powęska: How do we currently feed deer?

Dr. Anna Kononiuk: There are no supplements for deer available on the market that could influence the condition of the animal and the quality of its meat. They are either fed with fodder for cows (it is also a ruminant), or with no mixed feed at all – they are only given what is found in the forest plus alfalfa or hay. It’s not a professionally matched feed. To meet the market expectations, we decided to develop a dedicated feed supplement for deer to improve the quality of their meat.

MP: When is the best time to give such a feed supplement to an animal?

AK: It is meant to be administered in the autumn and winter, that is after the end of the reproductive period. This is the time when males are weakened after the roaring season, and females need strengthening during the development of pregnancy. Our supplement is meant to improve the condition of the animals, but also affect the quality of the meat that will be harvested, since the deer hunting season falls during the same period.

MP: There has been one supplement developed for males and females? What is their composition?

AK: As part of the experiment, we developed two different supplements – one targeting animal conditions and the other meat quality. I can’t pinpoint the exact differences, nor can I present the composition of these feeds as they are protected by patent rights. Our experiments made it possible to determine the dosage affecting changes in the condition and quality of the raw meat.

MP: Are similar feed additives for deer available worldwide?

AK: Commercially available are only feed additives that affect antler growth in deer. None improve the condition of the animals, much less the quality of their meat. That’s what inspired us to take up the challenge. When our feed additive hits the market, it will be the first of its kind.

MP: At what stage is your team’s research now?

AK: The feed additives have already been tested on deer and we are completing the results that show how it affects the condition of the animals. We are at the stage of statistical analyses of the results and summarizing the whole project.

MP: Has meat from deer fed with experimental feed additives been tested in restaurant conditions yet? Are there any taste differences?

AK: Yes, deer from animals fed with our additives have already been served to guests in restaurants and received positive reviews. Consumers were delighted with the meat and the restaurants appreciated our input, because for them it is not easy to find good quality cervid.

MP: What are your research plans for the future?

AK: We are currently focusing on the feed additives we have developed and trying to find customers for them. Surely they can still be improved and more parameters can be studied to determine their usefulness, but this takes time. At the moment we are satisfied with the progress of the work, but we are looking forward to more.

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Scientists of our Institute are most frequently cited in Theriogenology

The research team’s publication led by Radosław Kowalski, Ph.D., from the Department of Gamete and Embryo Biology of our Institute was among the most cited articles published from 2018 to 2022 in Theriogenology.

The review paper „Sperm quality in fish: Determinants and affecting factors” by dr Radosław Kowalski and dr Beata Cejko, describes the latest diagnostic developments in the study of fish sperm quality taking into account interspecies differences, indicating the direction of their development. The paper critically describes the principle of Computer Assisted Semen Analysis (CASA) and explains, based on our own and other researchers’ results, why there are significant discrepancies in this analysis.

The authors pointed out the critical role of the FPS (frames per second) of the camera used in the CASA study in obtaining reliable sperm motility data. In addition, a visualization of the error rule in CASA analysis when the FPS value is too low is presented for the first time.

This publication is a summary of the knowledge gained over the last 20 years by the Molecular Andrology Team. It confronts the results obtained by our team with the works of other researchers, systematizing the knowledge on the factors that affect the quality of fish spermatozoa. The conclusions included in the paper, as well as further questions facing researchers dealing with fish reproduction, constitute an important scientific value of the publication, making it useful for anyone who starts their scientific work with fish gametes,” said Radosław Kowalski, Ph.D., lead author of the publication.

The full list of most cited publications is at this link.

 

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