General Summary

The African Centre of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences (ACE) at the Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, invites applications for two (2) MSc student positions under the AIMaR project, funded by Google.

AIMaR is a four-year research project that applies advanced artificial intelligence tools, specifically the EVE (Evolutionary model of Variant Effect) framework and AlphaFold 3, to systematically predict and characterize mutations across the Plasmodium falciparum proteome. The project aims to identify mutations relevant to malaria surveillance, drug resistance, and vaccine design, and to link these mutations to key epidemiological and clinical parameters using annotated samples collected from multiple sites across Uganda over the past decade.

The MSc fellows will be integrated into the AIMaR research team and will develop and execute independent research concepts in line with the project's aims.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop an independent research concept in malaria bioinformatics or computational biology, aligned with the aims and scope of the AIMaR project.
• Design and execute a research study under the guidance of the AIMaR principal investigators, from data acquisition through to analysis and interpretation.
• Prepare and submit an MSc thesis based on the research conducted, meeting all requirements of Graduate Studies.
• Write one peer-reviewed publication arising from the research.
• Present research progress and findings at AIMaR team meetings, institutional seminars, and where applicable at national or international scientific conferences.
• Active participation in project team meetings and scientific discussions.
• Maintain proper documentation of research activities, data, and methods in line with good research practice and project data governance standards.
• Adhere to ethical standards and institutional research compliance requirements.

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor's of Science in Molecular Biology
• Bachelor's in Computational Biology
• Bachelor's of Science in Biochemistry
• Bachelor's of science in Microbiology
• Bachelor's in Computer Science

Others

Person Specification

Academic Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in Computational Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Computer Science, or a closely related field.

Specific Experience

• Experience working with biological or genomic data, whether through undergraduate coursework, a research project, or an internship.
• Demonstrated proficiency in at least one programming or scripting language, particularly Python or R
• Ability to work in a Linux/Unix command-line environment, or demonstrable aptitude for learning computational tools independently.
• Familiarity with bioinformatics tools and databases, such as PlasmoDB, UniProt, NCBI, or equivalent.
• Exposure to structural biology tools.
• Understanding of malaria biology, P. falciparum genomics, or infectious diseases more broadly.
• Experience with High Performance Computing (HPC) environments.

• Develop an independent research concept in malaria bioinformatics or computational biology, aligned with the aims and scope of the AIMaR project.
• Design and execute a research study under the guidance of the AIMaR principal investigators, from data acquisition through to analysis and interpretation.
• Prepare and submit an MSc thesis based on the research conducted, meeting all requirements of Graduate Studies.
• Write one peer-reviewed publication arising from the research.
• Present research progress and findings at AIMaR team meetings, institutional seminars, and where applicable at national or international scientific conferences.
• Active participation in project team meetings and scientific discussions.
• Maintain proper documentation of research activities, data, and methods in line with good research practice and project data governance standards.
• Adhere to ethical standards and institutional research compliance requirements.

• Proficiency in at least one programming or scripting language, particularly Python or R
• Ability to work in a Linux/Unix command-line environment, or demonstrable aptitude for learning computational tools independently.
• Familiarity with bioinformatics tools and databases, such as PlasmoDB, UniProt, NCBI, or equivalent.
• Exposure to structural biology tools.
• Experience with High Performance Computing (HPC) environments.

• A Bachelor's degree in Computational Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Computer Science, or a closely related field.
• Experience working with biological or genomic data, whether through undergraduate coursework, a research project, or an internship.
• Understanding of malaria biology, P. falciparum genomics, or infectious diseases more broadly.