Job description
Modern (molecular) biology rests on the generation, sharing and integrated analysis of digital data. Connecting the large amounts of digital life-science data fosters innovation, allowing to address major societal challenges. For this to succeed, research data and digital services need to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). With ELIXIR Belgium, we will provide tools and guidance for researchers to facilitate the process of making their data FAIR. This will be pursued by a hands-on approach in which we provide actionable best practices for commonly used data types and software development. As a Software developer for data management tools, you
- will be responsible to set up, maintain and further develop the FAIRDOM open source platform that will be deployed as a tool for research data management,
- will leverage FAIRDOM’s Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to integrate existing systems or specialized platforms as the data management planning tool dmponline.be, the data analysis platform Galaxy, and the PSB Interface for Plant Phenotype Analysis platform (PIPPA),
- will collaborate closely with the Data Steward and the developers of the respective platforms.
Profile
Essential
- Bachelor or Master in computer science, bioinformatics, (bio)engineering, biotechnology or equivalent
- Demonstrated programming experience e.g. in Python, Ruby, PHP
- Knowledgeable of W3C standards, technologies and best practices in web development
- Willing and able to learn and implement new technologies
- Fluent in English, with good communication skills
- Able to work both independently as well as in a team
Desirable but not required
- Experience in working with life-science data is an advantage
- Experience with (some of) the mentioned platforms or technologies is an asset
- Experience with virtualization technologies (e.g. Docker) is a plus
- Experience with automated deployment tools (Puppet, Ansible, etc.) is a plus
- Version control experience, GIT knowledge is a plus
- Experience with Linux/Unix environments and BASH scripting
We offer
- A fulltime position for 2 years initially. This is part of the long-term strategy for funding research infrastructures in Flanders, therefore prolongation is envisaged pending the successful renewal of the national project.
- Participation in the building of a user-friendly ecosystem of platforms for data management
- A challenging and stimulating work environment with opportunities for personal input, at the edge of developments in this area in Europe
- Engaging with the large life-sciences network across Europe of ELIXIR
- Work place is the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology (Ghent, Belgium)
About the institute and research infrastructure
The ELIXIR consortium (https://www.elixir-europe.org) is a European research infrastructure which unites life-science research groups. It coordinates, integrates and sustains bioinformatics resources from the different member states.
The VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology (PSB, https://www.psb.ugent.be) is a world-leading plant science institute with the mission to integrate genetics, genomics, phenotyping and bio-computing to unravel the biology of plants and to further explore the potential of plants to build a sustainable world.
The bioinformatics research groups at PSB develop novel software and web tools for the integration of large-scale data sets in the area of genomics, transcriptomics and phenomics for which an extensive computational infrastructure is available on site. PSB coordinates the Belgian ELIXIR Node, more information on https://www.elixir-belgium.org.
