MRC Postdoctoral Research Scientist LMS 2327

View Vacancy -- MRC Postdoctoral Research Scientist LMS 2327
Open Date
11/01/2024, 10:00
Close Date
18/02/2024, 23:55
Research Institute 1  
MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences
Research Institute / Unit Information 1  

The LMS is a world-class research laboratory  where scientists and clinicians collaborate to advance the understanding of biology and its application to medicine. Funded by the MRC as part of UK Research and Innovation , the LMS has a collaborative working culture and new state-of-the-art building based in the heart of West London in the Hammersmith Hospital Campus (W12).

The LMS aims to deliver transdisciplinary team science, in synergistic interaction with Imperial College and the wider national research environment. Part of achieving this, is to recruit new talent and support postdoctoral scientists to become world leaders in their area of science.

UK Research and Innovation is a new entity that brings together nine partners to create an independent organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, more information can be found at www.ukri.org
Band 1  
MRC - 4
Location 1  
London
Salary 1  
£39,375 plus London Allowances (£3,913 & £1,472) per annum
Allowances 1  
Additional allowances comprise a £1,000 lump sum Settlement Allowance plus a yearly Training Allowance of £850 in the first year, paid in monthly instalments. The Training Allowance increases to £1,300 in year two, and £1,800 in the third year.
Contract Type 1  
Fixed Term
Job Type 1  
Science
Full Time / Part Time 1  
Full Time
Contract Length 1  
3 years
Job Description 1  

Overall purpose:

We are looking for a talented computational bioinformatician or wet/dry postdoctoral research scientist to work on a project in epigenetics and transposable element biology in the Chromatin and Development group (headed by Michelle Percharde), co-supervised by Juanma Vaquerizas (Developmental Epigenomics group) at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) at Imperial College London.

The Percharde lab previously discovered that the transposon, LINE1, is essential in embryonic stem cells and embryos, highlighting unexpected roles for transposons in development (Percharde et al., Cell 2018), and recently described new mechanisms in development for transposon regulation (Xie et al., Genes Dev 2022). The Vaquerizas lab studies how chromatin, 3D genome organisation, and repetitive elements influence development and disease (Kruse et al., 2019, Chang et al., Genome Res 2022). Building on these advances, the successful candidate will work to elucidate how epigenetic dysregulation of pathways controlling gene and transposon expression and 3D genome organisation drives human disease.         

The ideal candidate will have a background in genome regulation, transposable element biology or related fields, and prior experience in computational analysis of high-throughput genetic analysis techniques, such as Hi-C, ATAC-seq, and RNA-seq. The position is available to be filled spring 2024, but the start date can be flexible.

Main duties / key responsibilities:

• To plan and carry out research in accordance with the project aims
• Take initiatives in the planning of research
• Write reports for submission to research sponsors
• Submit publications to refereed journals
• Provide guidance to staff and students
• Contribute to bids for research grants
• Conduct and plan own scientific work with appropriate supervision
• Maintain highly organised and accurate record of work
• To attend project and related research group meetings
• To interact and collaborate with group members
• Write-up and publication of work in peer-reviewed journals
• To take an active part in the academic activities of the LMS
• To attend and contribute to journal clubs and seminar presentations
• Presentation of data at national and international meetings
• To form good working relationships with other members of the group as well as internal and external collaborators
• To assist others and co-supervise students when required

Person Specification 1  

Education / Qualifications / Training required (will be assessed from application form):

Essential:

• A PhD (or equivalent) in mathematical or computational biology, bioinformatics, systems biology, or a related field
• Significant experience with computational analysis of genomic data sets

Desirable:

• Experience with transposable element biology (bioinformatician) and/or wet lab experience (dry/wet lab)

Previous work experience required (will be assessed from application form and at interview):

Essential:

• Extensive experience in computational analyses of NGS-based datasets and data integration
• Evidence that the candidate can plan and carry on a research project
• Experience of improving and maintaining bioinformatics pipelines and demonstrable commitment to version control and secure data management

Desirable:

• Experience of actively contributing to or driving scientific collaborations
• Experience of applying machine learning techniques to biological data
• Demonstrated proficiency in mapping and handling of transposable element data

Knowledge and experience (will be assessed from application form and at interview):

Essential:

• Excellent programming skills in languages such as R or Python
• Previous experience using high-performance computational environments and the UNIX command line
• Broad knowledge of a range of field specific analysis methods and tools
• Proven proficiency in employing quantitative methods for data analysis
• Excellent written communication skills in English
• A strong interest in genome regulation, organisation and function
• Demonstration of creative approaches to problem solving

Desirable:

• Strong publication record and exposure to scientific meetings

Personal skills / Behaviours / Qualities (will be assessed at the interview):

Essential:

• Ability to conduct reproducible research
• Ability to conduct a detailed review of recent literature
• Ability to develop and apply new concepts
• Creative approach to problem-solving
• Excellent verbal communication skills in English and the ability to deal with a wide range of people
• Ability to direct the work of a small research team and motivate others to produce a high standard of work
• Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision
• Ability to prioritise own work in response to deadlines
• Willingness to work as part of a team and to be open-minded and cooperative
• Flexible attitude towards work
• Discipline and regard for confidentiality and security at all times
• Willingness to work out of normal working hours if the requirements of the project demand
• Willingness to undertake any necessary training for the role

Further Information 1  
Applicants should submit one CV, a brief cover letter describing scientific interests and motivation for the post and names and contacts of two scientific references.  Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.  Please quote reference number LMS 2327.
The MRC is a great place to work and progress your career, be it in scientific research or the support functions.The MRC is a unique working environment where our researchers are rewarded by world class innovation and collaboration opportunities that the MRC name brings. The MRC is an excellent place to develop yourself further and a range of training & development opportunities will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.
Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UKRI) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme, as well as the chance to put the MRC and UKRI on your CV in the future.
Our success is dependent upon our ability to embrace diversity and draw on the skills, understanding and experience of all our people. We welcome applications from all sections of the community irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability or age. As "Disability Confident" employers, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.
UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs.
We will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.  The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role.  UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.