PhD in Bioinformatics

Join us to decode how genetic variation reprograms brain cells and disrupts their communication using AI. We are looking for a PhD student to work at the intersection of machine learning, single-cell genomics, and neurogenetics. Your project will focus on developing new methods to understand how genetic variants affect not only individual brain cells but also change the way cells interact and communicate — insights that are essential for understanding the cellular origins of brain disorders. The project tackles the fundamental gap in understanding how genetic risk factors for brain disorders disrupt brain function. You will work with large-scale single-cell and spatial transcriptomics data to develop and apply single-cell foundation models — generative machine learning models that represent the structure and variation of cell states, extending these models to understand genetic risk factors and cell–cell communication networks. You will closely collaborate with neuroscientists in the BRAINSCAPES consortium to link model predictions to experimental and clinical relevance.