Postdoc in Biological Data Systems, Alpha Cell Program

SciLifeLab Group; Stockholms kommun; On-site; SEK 334,800 - 558,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Good working conditions

Attractive benefits

Opportunity to grow in a dynamic environment

Job summary

SciLifeLab Group is seeking a Postdoc in Biological Data Systems to develop scalable data infrastructures for the Alpha Cell program, based at KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

The successful candidate will work closely with interdisciplinary teams to enhance accessibility of biological datasets for AI tools, facilitating innovative research in cell biology. This is a two-year position offered within a creative and dynamic environment, emphasizing diversity and equal opportunities.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, or closely related field.
• Strong understanding of biological datasets and data modalities.
• Experience using open databases and bioinformatics tools.
• Programming skills in Python or similar, with collaborative experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop scalable data infrastructure for biological datasets.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams for data integration.
• Enhance accessibility of biological data for AI tools.
• Contribute to modeling efforts based on external large-scale datasets.

Skills

Strong programming skills for developing computational tools

Collaboration and communication skills

Understanding of biological datasets

Experience with bioinformatics tools

Education

Doctoral degree in bioinformatics or computational biology

Tools

Git/GitHub

AI-assisted coding tools

Job description

Postdoc in Biological Data Systems, Alpha Cell Program

KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health

Alpha Cell is a new SciLifeLab program aimed at building the first molecular-level computational model of the human cell. The program is led by Jan Ellenberg, Director of SciLifeLab and Mathias Ulhen, Director of the Human Protein Atlas, together with a collaborative, multi-institutional constellation of SciLifeLab researchers and infrastructure units.

The Human Protein Atlas (HPA) is a large-scale international effort to map the spatial distribution of proteins in human cells, tissues, and organs using antibody-based imaging, transcriptomics, and systems biology approaches. Since its launch, the atlas has generated one of the world’s most comprehensive open resources for spatial molecular biology, comprising millions of images and extensive molecular measurements. All data are released openly and widely used by researchers worldwide.

The Alpha Cell program is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher in Biological Data Systems to develop scalable data infrastructure and computational systems for large biological datasets. The position will be embedded within the Human Protein Atlas at KTH and SciLifeLab. The successful candidate will work closely with Avlant Nilsson cancer cell modeling lab and Wei Ouyang’s AICell lab who together will develop the first foundation cell model based on HPA and other external large-scale datasets.

The role focuses on establishing the data foundations for the program’s initial modelling efforts by identifying, evaluating, integrating, and structuring large biological datasets into scalable, standardized, and AI‑ready frameworks for computational modelling. Working in SciLifeLab’s highly interdisciplinary environment, where imaging, molecular data, and computational methods are developed in parallel, the postdoc will develop systems and services that make biological data accessible to AI and computational tools, collaborating closely with the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) team and other researchers to enhance data integration, annotation, structure, and accessibility, connect external datasets, and support open science and emerging AI-driven workflows.

Qualifications

Requirements

• A doctoral degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, cell biology with a strong computational component, or a closely related field. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than the time the employment decision is made.
• Strong understanding of biological datasets and data modalities relevant to cell biology, such as imaging, transcriptomics, proteomics, or spatial omics.
• Rich experience and track record in using open databases and bioinformatic tools and services.
• Strong programming skills for developing computational tools or data workflows (Python or similar), with good software engineering practice, collaborative development experience (e.g. Git/GitHub), and ability to use AI‑assisted coding tools effectively.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work across experimental, computational, and infrastructure‑focused teams.

Preferred qualifications

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree, obtained within the last three years prior to the application deadline.
• Experience working with large heterogeneous datasets.
• Experience working with biological datasets such as imaging, genomics, proteomics, or spatial omics.
• Experience building scalable or automated data processing workflows.
• Experience building APIs or data services for large scientific datasets.
• Familiarity with the Model Context Protocol or similar systems for exposing data to AI tools and agents.
• Experience developing infrastructure for machine learning workflows.
• Experience contributing to open data platforms or large scientific databases.
• Awareness of diversity and equal opportunity issues, with specific focus on gender equality.

Great emphasis will be placed on personal skills.

KTH shapes the future through education, research and innovation. As a leading international technical university, we play an active role in advancing the transition towards a sustainable society. At KTH, you have the opportunity to grow and develop in a creative and dynamic environment, with good working conditions and attractive benefits. Equality, diversity and equal opportunities are essential to quality and form an integral part of KTH’s core values as a university and public authority.

About the employment

The position offered is for, at the most, two years.