Location: EMBL-EBI, Hinxton near Cambridge, UK
Staff Category: Staff Member
Contract Duration: 3 years
Grading: Grade 5 (starts at £2,676.73 net monthly) or Grade 6 (starts at £2,994.54 net monthly)
Closing Date: 30 January 2020
Reference Number: EBI01578
The Ensembl Regulation team is looking for a talented software developer to build innovative and maintainable data analysis pipelines to integrate large scientific datasets in support of the latest research in regulatory genomics.
Ensembl (http://www.ensembl.org/) is one of the most successful large-scale bioinformatics projects and one of the leading projects for genome annotation. We import massive amounts of data from various archives (genome sequences, variation archives, etc) and use them to create syntheses (gene annotation, whole-genome alignments, gene trees, regulatory elements, etc). Our services are freely open to all scientists around the world, and serve a range of uses, from basic science to biomedical research.
Ensembl Regulation’s core product is a computational pipeline that annotates parts of the genome as having regulatory function—regions which control how genes are expressed in different tissues and cell types. These elements have been shown to play a significant role in explaining the mechanisms underlying individual variation and are central to understanding development, evolution and the progression of disease.
Your role
Your role is to work on a team to innovate, extend and maintain Ensembl Regulation’s analysis pipelines and supporting products. This includes:
- Implementing new bioinformatic analyses to process and integrate different assay types (e.g. chromatin interaction data, single-cell measurements etc.),
- Extending the current database schemas and REST APIs to incorporate new data types and analyses.
- Ensuring that the products we produce are maintainable and usable and that our analysis results are reliable. This includes testing and documentation.
You have
You should hold an MSc or PhD, or have an equivalent qualification/professional experience, in bioinformatics, computer science, machine learning or any related field.
You ideally have experience developing scientific software and/or analysing the results of large-scale datasets. Experience working as part of team interacting with end-users or stakeholders, such as in large scientific consortia, would be strongly preferred.
You should be team-oriented, ready to contribute to Ensembl's 50+ development team, and able to work in step with the procedures and time constraints of the entire project. Communication and presentation skills will be highly valued, as will be the ability to clarify and track complex software requirements.
You might also have
Experience with high-throughput computing and containerisation is desirable. Our current pipeline is written in Perl and future development is planned in Python and Rust, so experience with these is a plus.
Why join us
At EMBL-EBI, we help scientists realise the potential of ‘big data’ in biology by enabling them to exploit complex information to make discoveries that benefit mankind.
Working for EMBL-EBI gives you an opportunity to apply your skills and energy for the greater good.
As part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), we are a non-profit, intergovernmental organisation funded by 27 member states and two associate member states.
We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge in the UK, and our 850 staff are engineers, technicians, scientists and other professionals from all over the world.
EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation. The remuneration package comprises a competitive salary, a comprehensive pension scheme and health insurance, educational and other family related benefits where applicable, as well as financial support for relocation and installation. For more information about pay and benefits, click here.
We have an informal culture, international working environment and excellent professional development opportunities but one of the really amazing things about us is the concentration of technical and scientific expertise – something you probably won’t find anywhere else.
If you’ve ever visited the campus you’ll have experienced first-hand our friendly, collegial and supportive atmosphere, set in the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. Our staff also enjoy excellent sports facilities including a gym, a free shuttle bus, an on-site nursery, cafés and restaurant and a library.
What else you need to know
To view a copy of the full job description, please click here.
To apply please submit a covering letter and CV through our online system. Applications are welcome from all nationalities and this will continue after Brexit. For more information please see our website. Visa information will be discussed in more depth with applicants selected for interview.
EMBL-EBI is committed to achieving gender balance and strongly encourages applications from women, who are currently under-represented at all levels.
Appointment will be based on merit alone
Applications will close at 23:00 GMT on the date listed above.
