PhD position in Bacterial Genomics Epidemiology

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to apply for a FPI fellowship associated with the recently granted project “Fast bacterial evolution: processes and opportunities for the development of genomic epidemiology“ (FASTBACGENOMEPI) recently funded by MINECO (Spanish Office for Economy and Competitiveness). The main goal of this project is to expand the advances in new sequencing technologies to derive the complete genome sequence of difficult-to-culture bacteria from uncultured samples of clinical or environmental origin. We will work with the three sexually transmitted bacteria (Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Treponema pallidum), and we will also pursue the analysis of natural populations of Legionella pneumophila. The project will encompass wet-lab approaches with the use and eventual development of bioinformatic tools to allow the fast and precise analyses of complete genome sequence information for its integration in evolutionary and epidemiology frameworks.
The PhD will be developed under the supervision of Fernando González-Candelas at the Evolution and Health Unit (Cavanilles Institute for Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Spain) and Genomics and Health Unit (FISABIO, Valencia, Spain), reference centers for evolutionary and epidemiological research. For more information about this research centers and our group visit: http://www.uv.es/gonzalef/ ; http://www.uv.es/evosalud/ ; http://fisabio.san.gva.es/ ; http://www.uv.es/uvweb/institut-universitari-cavanilles-biodiversitat-biologia/en/institut-cavanilles-biodiversitat-biologia-evolutiva-1285893448913.html
The PhD fellowship will extend for 4 years with a starting salary of 16,422 €, with additional funds for enrollment in a PhD program and to support short stays at other research centers. The research is funded through project BFU2014-58656R.
The deadline for submitting applications is June 29, 2015 at 15.00 (Spanish time). The candidates should fulfil the requirements of the call (i.e., to be acceptable in a PhD program from a Spanish university). A background in molecular techniques, bioinformatics and molecular evolutionary biology will be positively evaluated.
Candidates should send their CV and a letter of motivation stating their interest in this project to Fernando González-Candelas (fernando.gonzalez@uv.es). Formal applications must be submitted through the Facilit@ application at the MINECO web site (https://sede.micinn.gob.es/)
Best regards,
Fernando González-Candelas