Postdoctoral Fellow - Bioinformatician

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is a world leader in genomic research, with an expanding scientific programme dedicated to understanding gene function in health & disease.  The Pathogen genomics team, headed by Julian Parkhill, uses high-throughput sequencing and phenotype analysis of bacteria to understand their virulence, evolution, transmission and host-interactions.  The team works on a variety of microorganisms, most of which are human pathogens, but it is also analysing some veterinary pathogens and model organisms - species which provide information about other species that are more difficult to study directly.

 

We have an exciting new role available for a talented bioinformatician/programmer engaged in an important genomic study of the evolution of a major human pathogen in response to the global introduction of vaccine. The successful candidate will be part of a dynamic team at the Sanger Institute and will interact with collaborators around the world. Responsibilities will include software development for intuitive analysis and visualisation of genome sequences and associated metadata.

 

The post is funded through a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation project focused on genomic analysis of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world with a particular impact in low income regions. The scientific aim of the project is to capture genomic variation in pneumococcal populations before and after widespread use of current anti-pneumococcal vaccines in order to better understand how the pathogen responds to such vital clinical interventions thereby informing strategies around their use.

 

Essential Skills

The successful candidate will have the following knowledge, experience and skills:

• PhD in bioinformatics or computer science (or equivalent industry experience)
• Several years experience in bioinformatics
• Evidence of proficiency in computer program design and implementation in a modern programming language (e.g. Perl, Java, Python etc.)
• Proven experience of designing and developing web based applications for support of scientific projects
• Experience of dealing with large data sets and running software on a compute farm
• Knowledge and experience of UNIX / LINUX on an advanced level
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Experience of training and supervising other team members

   

  Ideal Skills

  Expertise in design, creation and validation of intuitive software for visualisation and analysis of biological datasets. Experience with processing next-generation sequencing data would be an asset but is not essential.

  Other information

  Postdoctoral Fellows are typically in their first or second postdoctoral position as part of a period of early career research training. Successful applicant(s) who have submitted their PhD thesis and are awaiting their PhD award to be confirmed will be placed on a transitional pay point, currently £26,364. On confirmation applicants will be moved on to the pay range above.

  This position is fixed-term for 3 years.

   

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is one of the leading genomics centres in the world, dedicated to analysing and understanding genomes. Through large-scale analysis - and focused research and collaborations - the Sanger Institute's programmes underpin biological and medical research worldwide.