Research Technician – Bioinformatics

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University College London

Job description

About usBiosciences is one of the world’s foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences and one of the largest Divisions within UCL, undertaking a significant amount of research and teaching. The Division has a diverse portfolio addressing all areas of biology from protein interactions to cell function, organism development, genetics, population studies and the environment. Computational modelling approaches are frequently used alongside experimental research programmes and much of our research crosses traditional boundaries, including the relationship of biodiversity to the health of the planet. Activity is underpinned by high calibre science technology platforms and state of the art equipment. Educational activity includes a range of undergraduate programmes, an expanding number of Masters Programmes and a substantial number of postgraduate research students.This is an exciting opportunity to join our new bioinformatics workflow team to support ecologists. The project is funded by a BBSRC grant entitled “Bioinformatics and Biological Resources Fund”, where our project title is “Building a Bioinformatics Ecosystem for Agri-Ecologists”. The team comprises two academic advisors and two bioinformatician/pipeline developers/advocates.About the roleThe main purpose of this position is to promote the development of Nextflow bioinformatics pipelines for UK ecologists. This will involve the development of scientific workflows specific to users’ needs and the delivery of training events every 6 months. The successful candidate will work closely with the researcher co-investigator to produce industry standard nf-core style pipelines, test these pipelines and refine the pipelines based on the needs of the users. The role will involve writing up methods for publication and the opportunity to present your work internationally (if desired). We will attend nf-core hackathons to improve our ability to write to the highest standards in the field.This role is an open-ended contract with a funding end date of 30/06/26 in the first instance.This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.If you have any queries about the role, please contact Seirian Sumner at or Chris Wyatt atIf you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact Biosciences staffing at biosciences.staffing@ucl.ac.uk.About youThe successful candidate must hold an undergraduate degree in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics or other relevant subject area; at least three years’ experience (e.g. Masters or PhD degree or equivalent experience) is desired but not essential. A demonstrated working knowledge of Nextflow is essential. A demonstrated experience with bioinformatic analysis of next-generation sequencing data, genome sequence data, and/or expertise in analysing transcriptomic (RNA-Seq) data is essential. Basic knowledge of UNIX is essential. Mastery of at least one high-level programming language (e.g. R, groovy, python or perl) is essential. It is desirable to have a working knowledge of at least two programming languages. Excellent capability in working with, adapting, developing and writing bioinformatic pipelines using Github is essential. An interest and understanding of ecology and ecological genomics is desired but not essential.What we offerAs well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
Immigration loan
On-Site nursery/gym
Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
Discounted medical insurance

Visit to find out more.Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and InclusionAs London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.Our department holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here:Available documents