Career Opportunities

VP1 Researcher (junior/postdoc) (m/f)

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The Dean of the Faculty of Science of the University of Ostrava announces a selection procedure to fill the new job position

  • VP1 Researcher (junior/postdoc) (m/f)

Workplace

  • Faculty of Science, Department of Biology and Ecology

Position classification

  • Postdoc I

This is position filled in accordance with the conditions of the Life Environment Research Center Ostrava (LERCO) project (reg. no. CZ.10.03.01/00/22_003/0000003, Research Program 1 Molecular Biology and Genomics.

Job description

Postdoc position in the newly established research group: Virus evolution & host interaction, group lead by dr. Pascal Mutz

Responsibilities

  • Conduct independent research in the field of virus evolution and virus-host interactions
  • Analyze large-scale virus genomics datasets using bioinformatic and computational approaches
  • Train and run large language models to predict protein interactions
  • Contribute to the development of research projects and lead first-author publications in high impact journals
  • Present research findings at meetings and conferences
  • Collaborate with members of an interdisciplinary research team and across the institute
  • Assist in mentoring students and junior researchers

Qualification requirements – required

  • PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Data Science, Infectious diseases, Evolutionary Biology, or a related field
  • Strong computational and bioinformatic skills
  • Proficiency in programming/scripting languages such as Python or R
  • Experience using high-performance computing (HPC) or computational clusters
  • Experience with protein language models
  • Excellent communication and scientific writing skills
  • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
  • Track record of peer-reviewed publications
  • Interest in virus evolution and studying virus-host interaction
  • Strong written and spoken English

Qualification requirements – preferred

  • Experience in comparative genomics and phylogenetic analysis
  • Knowledge of RNA viruses
  • Experience to conduct molecular biology experiments (‘wet-lab’)
  • Knowledge of ecology-based statistics and methods

Research level

  • R2 – Recognized

The expected form of employment

  • 100 % (or by agreement)

The duration of employment

  • the contract till the 31st of December 2028, with a possibility of extension

The expected start date

  • 1 October 2026 (or by agreement)

Benefits

  • Vacation (6 weeks per year for non-academic positions, 8 weeks per year for academic positions)
  • 5 sick days for medical treatment (after trial period)
  • Flexible working hours
  • Occasional home office
  • Vaccination center of the Faculty of Medicine
  • Access to magnetic resonance imaging with an appointment within 14 days (City Campus of the University of Ostrava)
  • Multisport card
  • Discount on admission to the City Campus sports complex of the University of Ostrava
  • CZK 200 contribution for shared bikes
  • Access to Faculty of Arts concerts
  • Discount programs with partners
  • English language courses and other educational programs and courses
  • Free access to the University Library, including e-books on Bookport and the option of free interlibrary loan service
  • 15% discount on books in the OUshop
  • Access to the SEDUO platform
  • Elánek kindergarten with a 50% discount on kindergarten fee
  • Discount on rent at Heimstaden
  • Meal vouchers worth CZK 123
  • T-Mobile′s discounted mobile tariffs
  • More details

The language in which the selection procedure will be conducted

  • English

Documents required from the participant

Application deadline

  • 15 August 2026 (inclusive)

Information about the selection procedure

To apply for the selection process, please send us the completed form and the required documents.

The dean of the faculty reserves the right not to fill the position or to cancel the selection process.

To ask further questions about the position and the research project contact pascal.mutz@gmx.de.

Contacts