Junior Research Software Engineer/ Research Software Engineer

Job Purpose

The post holder will join the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) (http://www.cvr.ac.uk/) and make a leading contribution to developing database and web resources associated with our viral pathogen projects. The postholder will help with support, maintenance and development of the underlying software and database framework for managing data and associated web interfaces of specific virus resources in line with CVR research priorities. The post is suited to a highly motivated individual with a keen interest in virus research and with relevant experience, and/or Masters or PhD-level training ideally in bioinformatics web resources. The successful candidate will have a track record in software engineering with experience of databases and web development. Direct experience of bioinformatics, computational and evolutionary biology, and/or virology would be a distinct advantage.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Take a leading role in developing viral bioinformatics software resources and supporting existing virus resources and functionality in order to support the goals of our online virus resources.

2. Maintain our virus databases and linked web-resources for viruses relevant to CVR research priorities.

3. Take a role in supporting our virus database developments linked to GLUE, our data-centric bioinformatics environment for virus sequence data and underpinning several of our virus resources, for example, http://hcv-glue.cvr.gla.ac.uk/ and http://rabv-glue.cvr.gla.ac.uk/, see also https://bioinformatics.cvr.ac.uk/projects/glue/.

4. Contribute to future virus database design and associated analytical framework and web resources.

5. Establish and maintain our research profile and reputation and that of the CVR, including establishing and sustaining a track record of joint publications of international quality in high profile/quality refereed journals.

6. Keep up to date with current knowledge, recent advances in the field/discipline and the research literature.

7. Present work at international and national conferences, at internal and external seminars, and workshops to develop and enhance our research profile.

8. Contribute to team/group meetings/seminars/workshops and CVR research group activities to enhance the wider knowledge, outputs, and culture of the CVR.

9. Contribute to the supervision, mentoring and training of undergraduate or postgraduate students and less experienced members of the project team to ensure their effective development.

10. Engage in personal, professional and career development, to enhance both specialist and transferable skills in accordance with desired career trajectory.

11. Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the Head of Bioinformatics or CVR Director.

12. Contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with the University of Glasgow’s Strategic Plan.

For Appointment at Grade 7

13. Perform the above duties with a higher degree of independence, leadership and responsibility, particularly in relation to planning, collaborating, contributing to major research activities, and mentoring colleagues.

14. Establish and sustain a track record of joint published research to establish and maintain your expert reputation in the subject area.

15. Understand the challenges associated with the project(s) and subject area(s), and develop/implement a suitable strategy.

These key tasks are not intended to be exhaustive but highlight a number of major tasks the staff member may reasonably be expected to perform. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities evolve.

Please note that as part of your application you must address and demonstrate how you meet EACH of the essential/desirable criteria. If you do not address each criterion in the format explained below you will not be shortlisted for interview.

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential:

A1 Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework Level 8 (Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4 Higher National Diploma) or equivalent in a relevant subject such as computer science, statistics, mathematics, computational biology or bioinformatics and experience of personal development in a similar or related role.

For Appointment at Grade 7:

A2 Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework Level 9 (Ordinary Degree, Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4) or equivalent (including professional accreditation with relevant formal training) and experience of personal development in a similar or related role. Or, ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills in a similar role.

Desirable at Grade 6:

B1 Masters qualification in bioinformatics, computational biology or computer science subject.

Desirable at Grade 7:

B2 PhD and in-depth understanding of bioinformatics, computational biology and/or computer science subject.

Skills                                                         

Essential:

C1 Excellent web development skills.

C2 Excellent general software engineering skills.

C3 Excellent database design skills with knowledge of MySQL.

C4 Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.

C5 Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills.

C6 Excellent time and project management skills.

C7 Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

C8 Willingness and aptitude to work in a multidisciplinary research environment.

C9 Excellent problem-solving skills.

For Appointment at Grade 7:

C10 Proven ability to plan and efficiently collaborate with others and deploy resources in support of major research activities.

C11 Demonstrated ability to contribute to a national or international consortium.

Desirable:

D1 Excellent data integration skills.

D2 Excellent knowledge of graph databases, e.g., Neo4j.

Experience

Essential:

E1 Demonstrated experience of web resource front-end development, e.g., JavaScript, Django, R Shiny, Streamlit, React.js or Angular etc.

E2 Experience of programming/scripting languages relevant to the project: Java, Python, R etc.

E3 Experience of the software development process and demonstrated outputs.

E4 Familiarity with version control software, e.g., GitHub, SourceTree.

E5 Demonstrated experience of database design and data management.

E6 Track record in web-based user interface development.

E7 Working experience in Linux/Unix-based environments.

For Appointment at Grade 7:

E8 Sufficient breadth and/or depth of knowledge in the specialist subject/discipline, including independence illustrated by support or development of database and/or web resources.

E9 Experience of leading on highly complex data analysis and web resource projects.

Desirable:

F1 Experience of working in a research environment.

F2 Experience of software development and/or web resources in the area of biology applied to pathogens, ideally, viruses.

F3 Experience of research in the areas of genomics, evolutionary biology and/or virology.

F4 Track record of publications in appropriate scientific journals or conference proceedings.

Additional Details:

We are seeking to appoint a software engineer with skills and experience in databases, data integration and web development to join our bioinformatics team and enhance the research activities of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR)

https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/cvr/\

in the School of Infection and Immunity at the University of Glasgow. Research at the CVR spans molecular, structural and cellular levels of infection through to the individual host and affected population, thus integrating molecular and structural virology, cell biology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, evolution, data-driven research and mathematical modelling. Through linking approaches at the molecular, cellular, host, population, ecological and evolutionary levels we strive to understand how viruses cause disease and improve health.

The postholder will be embedded in the CVR Bioinformatics team, a group of computer-based researchers with the goal to support CVR research by exploiting new advances in viral genomics and bioinformatics. CVR Bioinformatics works in partnership with CVR Genomics, led by Dr Ana Filipe, jointly forming the CVR’s MRC-funded integrative Viral Genomics and Bioinformatics (iVGB) platform. Our mission is to support CVR researchers and collaborators, perform independent research aligned with the CVR’s priorities and provide resources to the wider virology community. The increasing size of experimental data sets in virology, coupled with the need to integrate newly generated data with existing public data sets and perform meta-analysis, necessitates high levels of computational expertise. Our bioinformatics team are solely dedicated to virology and are experts in a wide range of topics relevant to CVR research priorities. They have expertise in analysing next generation sequencing data, metagenomics, transcriptomics, data integration, molecular evolution and phylogenetics, machine learning, software engineering and database development. The postholder will liaise with our bioinformatics team, other computational biology researchers and researchers across the CVR. The postholder will have a track record in software engineering with experience of databases and web development. Direct experience of bioinformatics, computational and evolutionary biology, and/or virology would be a distinct advantage but is not essential.

Informal enquiries about this post may be directed to Dr Joseph Hughes ([email protected]) or Prof David L Robertson ([email protected]).

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 6, £32,332 - £36,024 per annum, or Grade 7, £39,347 - £44,263 per annum, depending on appointment.

This post is full time (35 hours per week) and is funded until 31st March 2027 in the first instance. 

As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University  https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.