Part-time student assistant data manager position in the Language and Genetics department

Job description:

A part-time student assistant is sought for 16 hours per week, initially for six months, but with a possibility for renewal for up to three years. The successful applicant will support the management of large data sets. Work will involve data download, quality control and management of data sets, including genomic and phenotypic data, and harmonising data structures across multiple cohorts. The successful candidate will also help prepare data access requests, annual reports, and individual study reports in support of an open science policy. This provides an exciting opportunity to become acquainted with large omics data, genetic epidemiology analysis tools (including those related to identifying ancestry and relatedness) and R/shell programming. The position is available from 1 October 2024.

Requirements:

Applicants do not need any prior experience but must be enrolled as a Bachelor’s or Master’s student at Radboud University for the duration of the contract. English reading and writing skills are essential as well as good organizing skills and an eye for detail. Familiarity with Linux and Windows computing systems is an advantage.

What we offer you:

• Experience in handling and managing data access
• Experience in managing genomic data with genomic tools
• Experience in R/shell programming
• A nice team

Conditions of employment:

• 6 months, with a possibility for renewal of up to 3 years
• 16 hours per week
• The hourly rate is 15,02 Euro with Bachelor's degree (14,39 Euro without a degree)

Application procedure:

Direct link to the application form

Applications should include:

1.     A cover letter outlining your motivation (~ 1-page statement of interest)

2.     A CV listing relevant experience

3.     Names, E-mail addresses and contact details of two referees

4.     A list of grades from your Bachelor’s study (and Master’s, if applicable)

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position has been filled. For informal enquiries about the position, please get in touch with Beate St Pourcain (beate.stpourcain [at] mpi.nl (beate[dot]stpourcain[at]mpi[dot]nl)); for general questions about the institute and employment details, please contact the secretariat at the Language & Genetics Department (secretariat.genetics [at] mpi.nl (secretariat[dot]genetics[at]mpi[dot]nl)).

The employer:

About the Language and Genetics department

At the Language and Genetics Department, we aim to uncover the DNA variations which ultimately affect different facets of our communicative abilities, not only in children with language-related disorders but also in the general population. In addition, we hope to trace the evolutionary history and worldwide diversity of key genes, which may shed new light on language origins.

About our institute

The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics is a world-leading research institute devoted to interdisciplinary studies of the science of language and communication, including departments on genetics, psychology, development, neurobiology and multimodality of these fundamental human abilities.

We investigate how children and adults acquire their language(s), how speaking and listening happen in real-time, how the brain processes language, how the human genome contributes to building a language-ready brain, how multiple modalities (as in speech, gesture and sign) shape language and its use in diverse languages and how language is related to cognition and culture, and shaped by evolution.

We are part of the Max Planck Society, an independent non-governmental association of German-funded research institutes dedicated to fundamental research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.

The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunities employer. We recognise the positive value of diversity and inclusion, promote equity and challenge discrimination. We aim to provide a working environment with room for differences, where everyone feels a sense of belonging. Therefore, we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

Our institute is situated on the campus of the Radboud University and has close collaborative links with the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University. We also work closely with other child development researchers as part of the Baby & Child Research Center. Staff and students at the MPI have access to state-of-the-art research and training facilities.

About the group

The Population Genetics of Human Communication research group is led by Dr Beate St Pourcain and embedded within the Language & Genetics Department at the MPI.