Bioinformatician

Bioinformatics
Hinxton, UK

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More about EMBL-EBI

The Cortes-Ciriano group co-leads the CRUK-funded Stratified Medicine Pediatrics Programme (SMPEDS). SMPEDS is the UK national molecular profiling platform for children with relapsed cancer and it successfully provides infrastructure to triage patients into clinical trials by identifying molecular abnormalities in rapid turnaround, with clinical reporting through a national weekly National Molecular Tumour Board. The main objective of SMPEDS is to facilitate better outcomes for children with relapsed cancers by identifying novel and potentially actionable events, treatment resistance factors and implementing mínimally invasive diagnosis and disease monitoring via the use of liquid biopsies. In addition, SMPEDS ensures that research multi-omics is routinely performed on UK patients who relapse with cancer. Technologies used by SMPEDS investigators include spatial and single-cell tissue profiling, digital pathology and machine learning, and whole genome scale liquid biopsy and methylation.

The Cortés-Ciriano group serves as the data coordination centre for SMPEDS, which provides an exciting opportunity to conduct research at the forefront of pediatric cancer research and translation. More broadly, the group develops computational tools to realise the vision that one day early cancer detection will be a routine activity using mínimally invasive techniques, and to characterise the patterns of mutations and genome instability processes in human cancers. The group uses diverse data analysis techniques and experimental methods, with a strong focus on the analysis of genome sequencing data from clinical samples.

Your role

We are looking for an intrinsically motivated and talented individual with experience in processing and analysing high-throughput sequencing data sets. This position is an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to gain in-depth knowledge and expertise in genomic medicine and translational research.

You will be expected to lead the development of scalable and creative computational solutions for the transfer, processing and analysis of sequencing data sets generated by the SMPEDS programme to support its research objectives.
These data sets will include a unique collection of hundreds of long-read whole-genome sequencing data sets spanning multiple paediatric cancer types, as well as spatial genomics and liquid biopsy data sets.

The position will involve a combination of data coordination activities for SMPEDS as well as research in genomic medicine using the unique multi-modal data sets. It is essential that you are dedicated to lead your own work while also being a team player and willing to engage with our national and international collaborators. Your work will involve close interactions with SMPEDS investigators and other EU initiatives with which the program collaborates.

**Closing date**: 5 December 2023

**Contract duration**: 3 years

**Grading**: Grade 5 or 6 (monthly salary starting at £3,090 or £3,456 per month after tax) plus benefits

**Reference number**: EBI02188

You have

PhD degree in the life sciences (preferably computational biology, genomics, statistics, or a similar field)
Strong analytical and programming skills (preferably in python and R)
Significant experience in computational genomics (ideally in cancer genomics) as evidenced by publication record
Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively with other group members and external collaborators
Proficient communication skills in both written and spoken English
Experience in Unix-based environments, high-performance computing and the development of reproducible data analysis pipelines using version control software
Experience in database technologies
Experience in computing using software containers and workflow management software, such as Nextflow and Docker
Experience in large-scale data transfers using state-of-the-art tools, such as Aspera or Globus
Data science skills, such as visualisation of complex data sets

You might also have
- Background in cancer biology

Why join us

Do something meaningful

Join a culture of innovation

We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside other prominent research and biotech organisations, and surrounded by beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. This is a highly collaborative and inclusive community where our employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their professional potential.

**Enjoy lots of benefits**:
**Financial incentives**: Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances
Flexible working arrangements
Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions