PhD in Machine Learning for Microplastics Microbiome Research

Company Description

The University of Tartu, founded in 1632, is Estonia's largest and oldest university, and serves as the nation's primary hub for academic and intellectual progress. As a globally recognized research university, it plays a pivotal role in advancing education and research internationally. With a diverse community of over 19,000 students and staff, the University fosters innovation and excellence in various fields. Its mission is deeply rooted in knowledge creation and sharing that positively impacts society.

Role Description

We are looking for a highly motivated PhD student candidate interested in applying deep learning and machine learning to advance our understanding of the microbiome on microplastics.

The successful candidate will work at the interface of microbiology, computational biology,  and data science, developing and applying machine learning and deep learning approaches to analyse microbiome data. Research topics include microbial community structure and function, temporal dynamics, pattern recognition, feature extraction, and predictive modelling using large-scale omics data.

What you will do

• Develop and apply machine learning/deep learning methods to microbiome datasets
• Analyze taxonomic and functional profiles of microbial communities
• Collaborate within an interdisciplinary research environment
• Publish research results in international peer-reviewed journals
• Contribute (at an appropriate level) to teaching and supervision activities

What we are looking for

• A Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. Microbiology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, or related areas)
• Basic background or strong interest in machine learning / deep learning
• Programming experience in Python (R is a plus)
• Experience or interest in bioinformatics, microbiome data, or data visualization

Strong analytical skills and motivation to work in a collaborative research environment