Ensembl Bioinformatician
Location: EBI - Hinxton near Cambridge, UK
Staff Category: Staff Member
Contract Duration: 3 years
Grading: 6
Closing Date: 14 July 2012
Reference number: EBI_00221
Job Description
The Ensembl project seeks a talented and motivated Bioinformatician to join the Ensembl Production Team at the European Bioinformatics Institute IEMBL-EBI) located on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus near Cambridge in the UK.
The successful candidate will work as part of a team responsible for the production related tasks associated with the Ensembl release cycle. (S)he will play a key part in the coordination of the Ensembl release cycle by working with members of the other Ensembl teams to ensure delivery of high quality data in a timely manner and will be involved in setting up procedures for carrying out quality control of the Ensembl data and providing timely feedback to the teams who create this data. Other aspects of this role will include:
- Developing and maintaining the BioMart data-mining resources that Ensembl provides, with particular emphasis on their biological relevance and correctness.
- Collaborating with international projects on and off campus.
- Working with the various teams in the Ensembl project to improve and streamline the release cycle process.
- User support and training.
The successful applicant will also be encouraged to advise on and contribute to other areas of software development, maintenance and quality control within the wider Ensembl group.
Working on Ensembl at EMBL-EBI provides access to an international collection of projects at the leading edge of bioinformatics. The EBI is part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).
Qualifications and Experience
The ideal candidate will hold a Ph.D. or MSc in Biological Science or Bioinformatics and previous experience of working within a production software environment and organising tasks to fit defined release cycles is desirable. Applicants who have experience of working on a large project, in close collaboration with fellow team members, with specific personal responsibilities, to deadlines, would have a distinct advantage. (S)he would also find it useful to have previous experience of working with systems that process large quantities of data. Prior knowledge of Ensembl and BioMart is desirable but consideration will be given to exceptional candidates without such experience. The successful candidate will be expected to provide advice and make decisions on the biological correctness of the data representations, so a strong working knowledge of biological and genomic concepts is required.
The post-holder must have experience of using Perl, Java, UNIX and relational databases (particularly MySQL) in a production environment. It is important that you can demonstrate commitment to producing and distributing high-quality data, in both the biological and computational sense.
We are looking for highly motivated candidates who can demonstrate solid problem solving skills, excellent attention to detail and have experience of working to deadlines. (S)he must be able to work autonomously and use their own initiative as well as being able to work as part of a team when necessary. It is important to be organised and have the flexibility to cope with various challenges that can arise at short notice in a production software environment.
Excellent English language and interpersonal skills are essential as the role will involve liaising with Ensembl users and colleagues within the wider Ensembl team.
Application Instructions
Please apply online through www.embl.org/jobs
Additional Information
EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation.
Please note that appointments on fixed term contracts can be renewed, depending on circumstances at the time of the review.
Note that special visa requirements apply to employees from non EU countries working at EMBL-EBI in the UK. The period of work does not apply for the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme.