Senior Bioinformatician UCL

Vacancy Reference Number

B02-05770

Closing Date

22 Feb 2024

Salary

£51,474–£60,521

Address

UK DRI at UCL, Queen Square On site (> 80% of working time)

Duration

The post is available immediately and funded by UK DRI until 31 March 2028 in the first instance. This role is eligible for hybrid working with a minimum of 20% of time on site.

About the job

Dementia is the greatest health challenge of our century.

To date there is no way to prevent it or even slow its progression, and there is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause it.

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative supporting research to fill the major knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause dementia.

Research from UK DRI at UCL covers the journey from the patient to the laboratory and back to the patient with improved diagnosis, biomarkers and candidate therapies put to the test. Led by Professor Karen Duff, UK DRI Centre Director, the team addresses the key unanswered mechanistic questions that link genetic and lifecourse factors to dysfunction in molecular pathways, in cells and in neural systems during the progression of the dementias. This work will be enhanced by clinical resource to link lab work to the clinic.

UK DRI core data science team

Neurodegenerative research spans various scales, from molecular to population levels and it benefits immensely from the rapidly evolving innovations in informatics and data science and the growing collation of omics and population level life-course data. The UK DRI holds the lead in identifying novel questions that can only be addressed with the inclusion of such innovations. The UK DRI data science team will serve as the core for the UK DRI national informatics programme over the next four years. The team will enhance data access, training, partnerships, and technical capacity for researchers, fostering data sharing and boosting data science capabilities. The team is currently based at UCL and interacts closely with the UK DRI UCL centre staff.

UK DRI researchers are currently generating a large amount of data ranging from omics data, including spatial transcriptomics, and imaging, to video recordings. The growth of the data necessitates standardised processes for systemic data integration while ensuring data quality is not compromised.

We have an exciting opening for an individual with work experience in bioinformatics and life sciences data research, to join our informatics team as the Senior Bioinformatician. We seek someone who is excited and committed to tackling dementia through collaborative efforts across a dementia organisation that is committed to advancing dementia research.

As the Senior Bioinformatician, you will understand the challenges surrounding the integration of disjointed data sets and how to approach them, and experience in assessing data quality and interpreting statistical analysis. You will work together with other UK DRI bioinformaticians to standardise and troubleshoot reporting and processes across the UK DRI.

Essential Criteria

You will be interested in the research and mission of the UK DRI, enthusiastic about joining our newly established data science team, and passionate about working effectively and collaboratively with researchers at all levels across the Institute.

You will also have a PhD in a relevant scientific discipline or equivalent practical experience working in a biomedical/health informatics domain, coupled with in-depth knowledge in developing and applying integrative analyses of large, disparate data sets, experience in designing and leading software projects, and a good understanding of workflow system mechanisms.

This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship or a global talent visa under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.

Contact Information

To apply visit here.

Informal enquiries regarding the role can be addressed to Amonida Zadissa, Associate Director of Informatics amonida.zadissa@ukdri.ac.uk .