Bioinformatician (Research Fellow) UCL

9 Feb 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

UK Dementia Research Institute

Research Field

Other

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

United Kingdom

Application Deadline

22 Feb 2024 - 17:00 (Europe/London)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37.5

Offer Starting Date

1 Apr 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Reference Number

B02-06467

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Dementia is the biggest health challenge of our century – currently affecting fifty million people worldwide, projected to triple by 2050, with huge financial, emotional and social impact on people directly affected, their carers, families and the community. 

Dementia is a symptom of several neurodegenerative disorders, with Alzheimer’s disease accounting for about 60% of cases. To date there is no way to prevent or even slow the rate of progression of neurodegeneration – there is still a major knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases.

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative supporting research to fill this gap.

We are a globally leading multidisciplinary research institute of over 700 staff investigating the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders causing dementia, driving a step change in our understanding of neurodegeneration and accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of interventions that will help diagnose, treat and ultimately prevent dementia. Our laboratory-based research groups and associated support staff are located within and employed by University College London, the University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, Edinburgh University, Imperial College London and King’s College London.  

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.

 

About the role

 

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 opportunity to join our newly founded informatics team as a bioinformatician. You will be committed to tackling dementia through collaborative efforts across an organisation that is committed to advancing dementia research.

As a bioinformatician, you will develop, maintain, and run data analysis pipeline infrastructure established by the data science team. You will also participate in several stages of data lifecycle management such as data processing, curation, management, and submission of the large and diverse amounts of data generated by UK DRI research teams.

You will interrogate and resolve potential issues associated with the data sets. As an active member in the research projects that you will engage with, you will take part in developing approaches for safeguarding high data quality and ensuring that key people are kept informed of the progress. You will work together with other UK DRI software developers and bioinformaticians to standardise and troubleshoot reporting and processes.

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.

Requirements

Research Field

Other

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

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 hold a PhD or equivalent in a relevant scientific discipline or have equivalent practical experience working in the biomedical or health informatics domain. You will have experience in informatics techniques, data management, and data curation, as well as a good understanding of workflow management tools like Nextflow and Snakemake. In addition, you will have experience in programming (R, Python, etc.) and in agile software development processes and management using GitHub.

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.

Informal enquiries regarding the role can be addressed to Amonida Zadissa, Associate Director of Informatics ([email protected] ).

Additional Information
Benefits

Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at research assistant Grade 6B (salary £37,332 - £39,980 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer 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
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits  to find out more.

We will consider applications to work on a part-time, flexible, and job share basis wherever possible.

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.

Additional comments
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

 

The Institute prides itself on operating in an all-inclusive environment irrespective of personal, physical, or social characteristics. Teamwork is highly valued, individual strengths are recognised and celebrated, and we are committed to advancing the careers of everyone. 12% of Institute staff are actively working on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives; visit our EDI website  for more information about our initiatives and priorities. The Institute also holds an Athena SWAN Silver award , in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality. 

As 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+ and gender diverse people in all roles, and women in Grade 9 and 10 roles. 

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

UK DRI at UCL

Country

United Kingdom

City

London

Postal Code

WC1E 6BT

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/search-ucl-jobs/details?jobId=20141&jobTitle=…

Contact

City

London

Website

https://ukdri.ac.uk/

Street

6th Floor, UCL Maple House, Tottenham Court Road

Postal Code

W1T 7NF

STATUS: EXPIRED