Intern Bioinformatics

Oudecampsweg 35C, 2678 NN De Lier, Netherlands

Flowers and plants have a strong emotional value for the people who buy them. Their potential to inspire is endless – They can make our day, brighten up the house, or turn the garden into a paradise.

Dümmen Orange is a leading breeder and propagator of flowers and plants. Our goal is to inspire people and create a better, more beautiful world. We offer an impressive portfolio of crops and varieties to growers, wholesalers and retailers around the world. 

We are looking for an Intern Bioinformatics for our Research department in De Lier, the Netherlands.

Why is this your internship?

Are you passionate about bioinformatics and eager to apply your skills to cutting-edge research? Do you enjoy working with sequencing data and designing analytical pipelines to solve real-world challenges? Join our Research & Development team at Dümmen Orange as an intern and contribute to the establishment genomics projects based on sequencing technologies and advanced bioinformatics tools.

In this internship, you will work with high-throughput sequencing data, focusing on developing and benchmarking bioinformatics tools for various applications targeted to ornamental breeding. Depending on your interests and expertise, you may engage in projects such as:

• Long-read meta-barcoding analysis to improve taxonomic classification using Oxford Nanopore sequencing or Illumina sequencing;

• Population genomics in plant pathogens, exploring genetic diversity, population structure, effector mining;

• Metagenome assembly and annotation, reconstructing microbial communities from complex datasets.

You will have the opportunity to explore state-of-the-art bioinformatics software, identify suitable reference databases, and design computational workflows for data processing and interpretation. This internship provides hands-on experience with advanced bioinformatics methodologies, contributing to real-world applications in plant breeding and genetic research.

You will be part of a multinational and collaborative team, where innovative thinking, a proactive mindset, and teamwork are highly valued. Working closely with the Trait Genetics team and reporting to the Research Associate Bioinformaticis, you will play a key role in advancing our research efforts and developing tools that can have a real impact on plant breeding innovation.

Your tasks and responsibilities:

• Conduct a comprehensive literature review on relevant bioinformatics methodologies, depending on the chosen project;

• Evaluate and identify suitable computational tools and databases for sequencing data analysis;

• Develop a project proposal tailored to one of the selected research areas, ensuring feasibility within a four-month timeframe;

• Design and implement bioinformatics pipelines for processing sequencing data (e.g., Oxford Nanopore, Illumina);

• Analyze the results, interpret the findings, and document them in a report;

• Plan and manage your daily activities to timely deliver the results.

Who are you?

• MSc student doing or close to finishing an MSc in plant sciences, plant breeding, biology or bioinformatics;

• Knowledge of plant pathology, statistics and bioinformatics.

• Knowledge in computer programming, like R or command line is required.

• Good project management and interpersonal communication skills.

• Enjoy thinking out of the box, help to solve problems, being critical and work in a team.

• Excellent command of the English language.

What do you get in return?

Dümmen Orange has major international ambitions with innovation technology and quality high on the agenda. There is plenty of room for autonomy, personal growth and you are part of an expert team. This allows you to optimally develop as a driven professional in your field. There is a supportive and open working environment where sharing knowledge, collaboration and achieving common goals are very important.

We also offer:

• An internship allowance of €450,- gross per month for a fulltime (38 hours a week) internship;

• A commuting allowance (if not in possession of an OV Student Chipcard). 

Who are we?

We are a leading international breeder and propagator of flowers and plants. Our breeders enhance characteristics such as colour, fragrance, and shape, as well as less visible traits like disease resistance, higher yield per square meter, and extended vase life. In production locations across Africa, South and Central America we have 330+ hectares of production space at our disposal. Here we set up our mother stock plants and propagate the starting material. Our extensive range of crops and varieties finds its way to growers, wholesalers, and retailers around the world.

With a leading R&D team, a diverse network of our own propagation sites, and over a century of experience in floriculture, we are the trusted source for industry expertise and innovation in floriculture breeding.

The products our industry produces have a strong emotional value for the consumers who buy them. Our purpose is to inspire people and create a better, more beautiful world. Our team of 6,600 dedicated, focused, and passionate professionals works across the globe. Our head office is located in De Lier, the Netherlands.

Your application 

Do you dare to bloom and are you ready to take your career to the next level? Click on the button below to apply for this internship. If you have questions about the internship, you can contact Anik Dutta, Research Associate Bioinformatics, via +31174 530 100 or a.dutta@dummenorange.com.